Turbo Grid

ANSYS TurboGrid User's Guide
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Release 12.1
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Table of Contents
1. ANSYS TurboGrid Workspace ........................................................................................................................ 1
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1
Object Selector ................................................................................................................................ 1
Visibility Check Box ........................................................................................................................ 3
Object Editor .................................................................................................................................. 4
Common Options ............................................................................................................................ 4
Data Tab ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Color Tab ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Render Tab ..................................................................................................................................... 5
2. File Menu ................................................................................................................................................... 9
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 9
New Case Command ...................................................................................................................... 10
Load BladeGen Command ............................................................................................................... 10
Load Curves Command ................................................................................................................... 11
Geometry ..................................................................................................................................... 12
Rotation ....................................................................................................................................... 13
Coordinates and Units ..................................................................................................................... 13
TurboGrid Curve Files .................................................................................................................... 13
Leading/Trailing Edge Definition on the Blade .................................................................................... 13
Load CFG Command ...................................................................................................................... 13
Reread Curves Command ................................................................................................................ 13
Load State Command (Import State Command) ................................................................................... 14
Save State Command (Export State Command) .................................................................................... 14
Save State As Command .................................................................................................................. 14
Save Project .................................................................................................................................. 15
Refresh ........................................................................................................................................ 15
Save Submenu ............................................................................................................................... 15
Save Blade Command ..................................................................................................................... 16
Save Blade As Command ................................................................................................................ 16
Save Periodic/Interface Surfaces Command ........................................................................................ 16
Save Inlet Command ...................................................................................................................... 16
Save Inlet As Command .................................................................................................................. 16
Save Outlet Command .................................................................................................................... 16
Save Outlet As Command ................................................................................................................ 16
Save Topology Command ................................................................................................................ 16
Save Topology As Command ............................................................................................................ 16
Save Mesh Command ..................................................................................................................... 17
Save Mesh As Command ................................................................................................................. 17
Save Mesh Dialog Box .................................................................................................................... 17
Region Naming ............................................................................................................................. 18
Export Geometry Command ............................................................................................................. 18
Save Picture Command ................................................................................................................... 19
Save Picture Dialog Box .................................................................................................................. 19
Recent State Files Submenu ............................................................................................................. 20
Recent Session Files Submenu ......................................................................................................... 21
Quit Command .............................................................................................................................. 21
3. Edit Menu ................................................................................................................................................. 23
Undo and Redo Commands .............................................................................................................. 23
Options Command ......................................................................................................................... 23
TurboGrid Options ......................................................................................................................... 23
Common Options ........................................................................................................................... 24
4. Session Menu ............................................................................................................................................ 27
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 27
Play Session Command ................................................................................................................... 27
New Session Command ................................................................................................................... 28
Release 12.1 - 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.
Contains proprietary and confidential information of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
iii

Start Recording Command ............................................................................................................... 28
Stop Recording Command ............................................................................................................... 28
5. Insert Menu ............................................................................................................................................... 29
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 29
Mesh Command ............................................................................................................................ 29
User Defined Submenu ................................................................................................................... 29
Point Command ............................................................................................................................. 29
Line Command .............................................................................................................................. 30
Plane Command ............................................................................................................................ 31
Turbo Surface Command ................................................................................................................. 33
Volume Command ......................................................................................................................... 33
Isosurface Command ...................................................................................................................... 35
Polyline Command ......................................................................................................................... 35
Surface Command .......................................................................................................................... 36
Contour Command ......................................................................................................................... 38
Instance Transform Command .......................................................................................................... 40
Legend Command .......................................................................................................................... 40
Text Command .............................................................................................................................. 41
New Command .............................................................................................................................. 41
6. Display Menu ............................................................................................................................................ 43
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 43
Display One Instance Command ....................................................................................................... 43
Display Two Instances Command ...................................................................................................... 43
Display All Instances Command ....................................................................................................... 43
Hide/Unhide Geometry Objects Commands ........................................................................................ 44
Hide/Unhide Layers Commands ....................................................................................................... 44
Hide/Unhide Mesh Objects Commands .............................................................................................. 44
Blade-to-Blade View Submenu ......................................................................................................... 44
7. Viewer ...................................................................................................................................................... 45
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 45
Viewer Toolbar .............................................................................................................................. 45
Viewer Hotkeys ............................................................................................................................. 47
Multiple Viewports ......................................................................................................................... 48
Selecting, Adding, and Deleting Views ............................................................................................... 49
Selecting and Dragging Objects while in Viewing Mode ........................................................................ 49
8. Tools Menu ............................................................................................................................................... 51
Calculator Command ...................................................................................................................... 51
Function Calculator Dialog Box ........................................................................................................ 51
Expressions Command .................................................................................................................... 54
Expression Editor Dialog Box .......................................................................................................... 54
Variables Command ....................................................................................................................... 56
Variable Editor Dialog Box .............................................................................................................. 56
Command Editor Command ............................................................................................................. 58
9. Help Menu ................................................................................................................................................ 59
On ANSYS TurboGrid Command ..................................................................................................... 59
Master Contents Command .............................................................................................................. 59
Master Index Command .................................................................................................................. 59
Tutorials Command ........................................................................................................................ 59
Search Command ........................................................................................................................... 59
Installation and Licensing Command ................................................................................................. 59
About ANSYS TurboGrid Command ................................................................................................. 59
About ICEM CFD Command ........................................................................................................... 59
About Qt Command ....................................................................................................................... 60
Help on Help Command .................................................................................................................. 60
10. ANSYS TurboGrid Workflow ...................................................................................................................... 61
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 61
Steps to Create a Mesh .................................................................................................................... 61
Geometry ..................................................................................................................................... 62
iv

The Machine Data Object ................................................................................................................ 63
The Hub and Shroud Objects ............................................................................................................ 65
The Blade Set Object and Blade Objects ............................................................................................. 66
The Hub Tip and Shroud Tip Objects ................................................................................................. 73
The Low Periodic and High Periodic Objects ...................................................................................... 74
The Inlet and Outlet Objects ............................................................................................................. 74
The Outline Object ......................................................................................................................... 76
Topology ...................................................................................................................................... 76
The Topology Set Object and Topology Objects ................................................................................... 77
Topology with Cut-off or Square Leading or Trailing Edges ................................................................... 86
ATM Optimized Topology ............................................................................................................... 87
Mesh Data .................................................................................................................................... 87
The Mesh Data Objects ................................................................................................................... 87
Edge Split Controls ........................................................................................................................ 92
Layers ......................................................................................................................................... 92
Adding Layers ............................................................................................................................... 93
Deleting Layers ............................................................................................................................. 93
Editing the Settings of Layers ........................................................................................................... 93
Layer Visibility .............................................................................................................................. 93
The Layers Object .......................................................................................................................... 93
Layer Objects ................................................................................................................................ 96
Master Control Points ..................................................................................................................... 98
Local Control Points ..................................................................................................................... 100
Master versus Local Control Points .................................................................................................. 100
Added Control Points .................................................................................................................... 100
Control Point Selection and Highlighting .......................................................................................... 101
Saving Layers to State Files ........................................................................................................... 101
Loading Layers from State Files ...................................................................................................... 101
3D Mesh ..................................................................................................................................... 102
The 3D Mesh Object ..................................................................................................................... 102
Surface Group and Turbo Surface Objects ......................................................................................... 102
Mesh Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 102
Mesh Statistics ............................................................................................................................. 103
Mesh Limits ................................................................................................................................ 103
Mesh Statistics Parameters - Order Of Importance .............................................................................. 104
Volume ....................................................................................................................................... 104
User Defined Objects .................................................................................................................... 104
Default Instance Transform ............................................................................................................ 104
Shortcut Menu Commands ............................................................................................................. 105
Auto Add Layers and Insert Layers Automatically Commands .............................................................. 106
Color Command ........................................................................................................................... 106
Copy Control Points to Hub and Shroud Command ............................................................................. 106
Copy Smoothing Levels to All Layers Command ................................................................................ 106
Copy to Hub, Copy All to Hub, and Copy Control Points to Hub Commands ........................................... 106
Copy to Shroud, Copy All to Shroud, and Copy Control Points to Shroud Commands ............................... 106
Create Mesh Command ................................................................................................................. 107
Create New View Command ........................................................................................................... 107
Delete Command ......................................................................................................................... 107
Delete New View Command ........................................................................................................... 107
Edit Command ............................................................................................................................. 107
Edit in Command Editor Command ................................................................................................. 107
Fit View Command ....................................................................................................................... 107
Hide Command ............................................................................................................................ 107
Insert Blade Command .................................................................................................................. 107
Insert Layer After and Insert Layer After Selected Layer Commands ...................................................... 107
Insert Layer Automatically Command .............................................................................................. 107
Insert Local and Insert Master Commands ......................................................................................... 108
Insert USER DEFINED Object Command ........................................................................................ 108

Insert Edge Split Control Command ................................................................................................. 108
Interpolating Control Point Offsets for Inner Layers ............................................................................ 108
Make Local Command .................................................................................................................. 108
Make Master Command ................................................................................................................ 108
Master Influence Command ........................................................................................................... 108
Mixed Influence Command ............................................................................................................ 108
Predefined Camera Commands ....................................................................................................... 108
Save Picture Command ................................................................................................................. 109
Projection Commands ................................................................................................................... 109
Render Properties Edit Options Command ........................................................................................ 109
Render Properties Show Curves Command ........................................................................................ 109
Render Properties Show Surfaces Command ...................................................................................... 109
Render Properties Topology and Refined Mesh Visibility Commands ..................................................... 109
Reset Offset Command .................................................................................................................. 109
Show Object and Show Commands .................................................................................................. 109
Show and Hide All Siblings Command ............................................................................................. 110
Sticky Command .......................................................................................................................... 110
Suspend Object Updates Command ................................................................................................. 110
Toggle Axis Visibility Command ..................................................................................................... 110
Toggle Ruler Visibility Command .................................................................................................... 110
Transformation Commands and Coordinate Systems ........................................................................... 110
Update Now Command ................................................................................................................. 111
Viewer Options Command ............................................................................................................. 111
11. User's Guide to the Automated Meshing Beta Feature in ANSYS TurboGrid 12.1 ................................................ 113
Changing the Overall Mesh Size ..................................................................................................... 113
Changing the Boundary Layer Resolution near the Blade ..................................................................... 114
Changing the Number of Elements on a Selected Topology Edge ........................................................... 114
Changing the Spanwise Mesh Distribution ........................................................................................ 115
Locking the Mesh Dimensions ........................................................................................................ 115
Advanced Local Refinement Control ................................................................................................ 115
Example Mesh ............................................................................................................................. 116

vi
List of Figures
1.1. Workspace ................................................................................................................................................ 1
10.1. Object Selector ...................................................................................................................................... 62
10.2. Part of Toolbar ....................................................................................................................................... 62
10.3. Rotation Axis ......................................................................................................................................... 65
10.4. Spanwise Lofting versus Streamwise Lofting ............................................................................................... 69
10.5. Trailing Edge with Pair of Edge Curves ...................................................................................................... 71
10.6. Topology of Type H-Grid ......................................................................................................................... 78
10.7. Topology of Type J-Grid .......................................................................................................................... 79
10.8. Topology of type H-Grid Dominant ............................................................................................................ 80
10.9. Topology of Type L-Grid ......................................................................................................................... 82
10.10. Topology of Type C-Grid ....................................................................................................................... 83
10.11. No Sharp Edge Treatment versus Sharp Edge Treatment ............................................................................... 84
10.12. O-Grid Corner Vertex Placement: At Same AR versus Project to OGrid ........................................................... 85
10.13. Cut-off Trailing Edge using Topology of Type H-Grid with O-Grid ................................................................ 86
10.14. Refined Mesh Showing Areas of Unacceptable Minimum Face Angle ............................................................. 97
11.1. A Sample Picture of the Mesh on the Hub for an Axial Turbine Blade ............................................................. 116
11.2. A Sample Picture of the Mesh at the Tip for an Axial Turbine Blade ............................................................... 117

vii

List of Tables
1.1. Icon Overlays and Text Styles ...................................................................................................................... 3

ix

Chapter 1. ANSYS TurboGrid Workspace
Introduction (p. 1)
ANSYS TurboGrid in ANSYS Workbench (p. 9)
Object Selector (p. 1)
Object Editor (p. 4)
Introduction
The ANSYS TurboGrid interface is divided into several parts, as shown in Figure 1.1, Workspace (p. 1). This
chapter describes two main parts of the ANSYS TurboGrid interface: the object selector and the object editor.
Figure 1.1. Workspace
After reading this chapter, you will be familiar with the basic features of the object selector and the object editor.
Information about main menu options and the viewer is given in subsequent chapters in this guide.
ANSYS TurboGrid Workflow (p. 61) shows how to use ANSYS TurboGrid.
Object Selector
The object selector lists all existing objects in ANSYS TurboGrid.

Object Selector
The object selector initially contains some objects in a tree format. Objects are data items used to drive aspects of
mesh generation, visualization, and calculations. These objects must be defined in a certain order. For details, see
Steps to Create a Mesh (p. 61).
To help guide you through the mesh creation process, the object names are listed with special icons and text fonts
in the object selector.

2
Visibility Check Box
Table 1.1. Icon Overlays and Text Styles

Icon
Overlay
Font
Appended Phrase
Description
Grey Italic
The object cannot be processed. Some other

object(s) must be defined before this object
can be processed.
Blue Bold
Italic
The object is ready to be defined, if

applicable, and then processed. The object
must be processed before a mesh can be
created.
Black
The object is complete and requires no more

information before a mesh can be generated.
The object can, however, be edited.
Red Bold
Italic
(Error)
The object has a problem. In the case of the

Mesh Analysis object, a red font
indicates that at least one mesh statistic falls
outside the limits set in the Mesh Limits
object.
(Suspended)
The object will not be processed because it

is suspended. You can control whether such
an object is suspended from the shortcut
menu. For details, see Suspend Object
Updates Command (p. 110).
(Parent suspended)
The object is suspended because a parent

object is suspended. For example, whenever
the Topology Set object is suspended, the
Mesh Data object will also be suspended.
The tree view reflects the structure of the object definitions. For example, there is a Hub object in both the Geometry
and 3D Mesh branches. To select the geometry Hub object, select the Hub object from the Geometry branch.
You can open the object editor for any object by:
Double-clicking it.
You may need to expand a tree branch to reach a particular object. This is accomplished by clicking on the plus
symbol at the root of the branch.
Right-clicking the object and using the shortcut menu.

Shortcut menu items will be available according to the type of object. All shortcut menu commands are described
in Shortcut Menu Commands (p. 105).
An alternative way to edit an object is by using the Command Editor dialog box. The Edit in Command Editor
menu item is available by right-clicking an object in the object selector. This operation opens the Command Editor
dialog box and displays the definition of the object and its parameter settings. Edit the CCL to change the object.
For further details, see Command Editor Command (p. 58).
Visibility Check Box

In the object selector, each object that can be displayed in the viewer window has a check box to the left of it. The
check box controls the visibility of the object in the viewer. Selecting the check box turns visibility on for that
object, while clearing the check box turns the visibility off. For details, see Common Options (p. 4).

Object Editor
Object Editor
The object editor is used to define or edit the properties of an object. It contains a set of one or more tabs that depend
on the type of object being edited.
Common Options
The options located at the bottom of the object editor are available from any of the tabs, and are common to most
objects. A description of each option follows:
The Apply button saves the changes made to all the tabs and updates the object in the viewer. Objects that
depend on the edited object are also updated. For example, altering a plane would also change any object that
uses that plane in its definition.
The Reset button returns the settings for the object to those stored in the database for all the tabs. The settings
are stored in the database each time you click the Apply button.
The Defaults button restores the system default settings for all the tabs of the object. The system defaults are
stored for each parameter, without regard for the types of object(s) in which the parameter may be used. For
this reason, using the Defaults button may result in unsuitable changes to an object's settings, and is not
recommended.
Data Tab
Most objects have one or more tabs which define the object. These are often called data tabs; e.g., the one for a hub
is called Data Hub. The data tab displays the definition of the object currently being edited. Each of the objects
are described in ANSYS TurboGrid Workflow (p. 61).
Color Tab
Mode
The Color tab controls the color of objects in the viewer. The color can be either constant or based on a variable.
Select one of the two options for Mode.
Select Constant to specify a single color for an object. To choose a color, click the
the Color box.
Select Variable to plot a variable on an object (maximum face angle on a plane, for example).
Select Use Plot Variable (available for some plots, including an isosurface) to color an object by the
same variable used to define it.
icon to the right of
Variable
Choose the variable to plot from the Variable drop-down list. The drop-down list of variables contains the most
commonly used variables. For a full list of variables, click the
icon.

4
Render Tab
Range
Click
next to the Range box to see the available methods for defining the range of the variable used to define
the plot. This affects the variation of color used when plotting the object in the viewer. The lowest values of a
variable in the selected range are shown in blue in the viewer, the highest values are shown in red.
Global uses the range of the variable over all domains (regardless of the domains selected on the Geometry
tab) to determine the minimum and maximum values.
Local uses the range of the variable over the current object to determine the minimum and maximum values.
This option is useful for utilizing the full color range on the object.
Using User Specified, enter the minimum and maximum values for the contours. This option is useful to
concentrate the full color range in a specific variable range. The variable values can be typed in, set using the
embedded slider or, by clicking the
icon to the right of the Units box, entered as an expression. Click
in the box to the right of the variable value to see the available units for the variable(s).
Hybrid and Conservative Values

Select whether the plotted object is based on hybrid or conservative values of the variable used for coloring.
Undefined Color
Any areas in which the variable is not defined (when a section of an object lies outside of the computational domain,
for example) use the color specified in the Undef. Color box. Click the
the undefined color.
icon to the right of this box, to change
Render Tab
The exact appearance of the Render tab depends on the type of object plotted in the viewer window.
Draw Faces
If the Draw Faces check box is selected, the faces which make up an object are drawn. The faces are colored using
the settings on the Color tab.
To change the transparency of an object, type in the transparency value or use the embedded slider (which has a
maximum value of 1 and a minimum value of 0). A transparency of 0 means the shading is opaque (or having no
transparency) and a transparency of 1 means the shading is invisible (completely transparent).
Shading properties can be changed to either None, Flat Shading or Smooth Shading.
Select None so that no shading is applied to the object; it appears black.

Render Tab
Select Flat Shading so that each rendered element is colored a constant color. Color interpolation is not
used across or between rendered elements.
Select Smooth Shading so that color interpolation is applied which results in color variation across a rendered
element based on the color of surrounding rendered elements.
Lighting can be turned on and off by selecting/clearing the Lighting check box.
Specular lighting can be turned on and off by selecting/clearing the Specular check box. When selected, objects
appear to reflect light.
Face culling turns off visibility of rendered element faces of objects that either face the viewer or point away from
the viewer. Domain boundaries always have a normal vector that points out of the domain. Face Culling options
are:
Front Faces
Selecting Front Faces turns off visibility of all outward-facing rendered element faces (the faces on the
same side as the normal vector). This would, for example, turn off visibility of one side of a plane or the outward
facing rendered elements of a cylinder locator. When applied to a volume object, the first layer of rendered
element faces that point outwards are rendered invisible.
Back Faces
Selecting Back Faces turns off visibility of inward-facing rendered element faces (the faces on the opposite
side to the normal vector). When applied to volume objects, the effect of back culling is not always visible in
the viewer, since the object-rendered elements that face the outward direction obscure the culled faces. It can,
however, reduce the render time when further actions are performed on the object. The effect of this would be
most noticeable for large volume objects. In the same way as for front face culling, it turns off visibility of one
side of surface locators.
No Culling
No Culling turns on the visibility of all rendered element faces.
Note
Face culling affects printouts performed using the Use Screen Capture method.
Draw Lines
If the Draw Lines check box is selected, the lines which make up the object's surface are drawn. To change the line
width, type in the line width value, increase or decrease the value by 1 by clicking the up and down arrows, or use
the embedded slider (which has a maximum value of 10 and a minimum value of 1). Line color can be changed by
clicking on the
icon to the right of the Color box.
The Edge Angle setting is used to limit the number of visible edges in a plot. The edge angle is considered to be
the angle between two faceted faces of a surface which are connected by an edge. If the angle between two adjacent
faces is greater than the Edge Angle setting, then the edge shared by the faces is drawn. If the edge angle is 0, the
entire surface is drawn. If the edge angle is large, then only the most significant corner edges of the surface are
drawn.
A sensible setting for Edge Angle depends on the geometry. Experiment to get a value that clearly shows where
the surface is located, without displaying too much of the surface mesh. Too many lines can make it confusing when
more objects are added to the geometry.
Setting an edge angle defines a minimum angle for drawing parts of the surface mesh. For example, if an edge angle
of 30 is chosen, any edges shared by faces with an angle between them of 30 or more are drawn.
Reducing the edge angle shows more of the surface mesh in the viewer. When the edge angle is 0, all of the surface
mesh is shown.
Applying Instance Transforms to Objects

Instance transforms are created separately using Insert > User Defined > Instance Transform. For details, see
Instance Transform Command (p. 40). The Apply Instancing check box is selected by default, and Default
6
Render Tab
Transform is selected. To apply a different transform, it must be created and then selected from the list of existing
instance transforms.


Chapter 2. File Menu

The following sections describe the commands available in the File menu:
Introduction (p. 9)
New Case Command (p. 10)
Load BladeGen Command (p. 10)
Load Curves Command (p. 11)
Load CFG Command (p. 13)
Reread Curves Command (p. 13)
Load State Command (Import State Command) (p. 14)
Save State Command (Export State Command) (p. 14)
Save State As Command (p. 14)
Save Project (p. 15)
Refresh (p. 15)
Save Submenu (p. 15)
Save Mesh Command (p. 17)
Save Mesh As Command (p. 17)
Export Geometry Command (p. 18)
Save Picture Command (p. 19)
Recent State Files Submenu (p. 20)
Recent Session Files Submenu (p. 21)
Quit Command (p. 21)
Introduction
ANSYS TurboGrid uses and produces the following file types:
Session File
.tse session files are produced by ANSYS TurboGrid and contain CCL commands. Session files record the
commands executed to a file for playback at a later date. Use session files to run ANSYS TurboGrid in batch mode.
See Session Menu (p. 27) and Batch Mode (p. 37) in the ANSYS TurboGrid Reference Guide for details.
Note
Since the session file is a text file of CCL commands, you can write your own session files using a text
editor.
State File
.tst state files are produced by ANSYS TurboGrid and contain CCL commands. They differ from session files
in that only a snap-shot of the current state is saved to a file. Using state files, you can close ANSYS TurboGrid
and continue working later from the same point. See Load State Command (Import State Command) (p. 14) and
Save State Command (Export State Command) (p. 14) for details.
Note
Since the state file is a text file of CCL commands, you can write your own state files using a text editor.
Note
State files previously had the extension .cst.
Topology File
Topology File
.tgt topology files are produced by ANSYS TurboGrid and define the topology. Using topology files, you can
use the same topology for various cases without having to redefine it each time.
Note
Since the topology file is a text file, you can write your own topology files using a text editor.
Grid and Boundary Condition Files

.grd and .bcf grid and boundary condition files are produced by ANSYS TurboGrid and contain the mesh in a
format which can be read by CFX-TASCflow. For details, see Save Mesh Command (p. 17).
Mesh File
.gtm mesh files are produced by ANSYS TurboGrid and contain the mesh in a format which can be read by ANSYS
CFX. For details, see Save Mesh Command (p. 17).
BladeGen.inf File
BladeGen.inf information files contain machine data and curve file data. By loading a BladeGen.inf file,
you can set up the machine data, hub, shroud, and blade curves.
When loading a BladeGen.inf file, the curve type of the Hub and Shroud geometry objects will be set to
Piecewise Linear.
Curve File
.crv and .curve curve files are used by ANSYS TurboGrid to define machine geometry. These files contain
points in free-format ASCII style and can be created using a text editor, ANSYS BladeGen or by saving a modified
blade geometry in ANSYS TurboGrid.
TurboGrid 1.6 cfg File

.cfg simulation setup files contain machine data. By loading a .cfg file, you can set up the machine data, the
hub, shroud, blade curves, and the tip geometry.
Tetin File
.tin Tetin files are produced by ANSYS TurboGrid and describe the geometry in a format which can be read by
ICEM CFD products. For details, see Export Geometry Command (p. 18).
Picture Files
.bmp, .eps, .jpg, .png, .ppm, .ps and .wrl files can be saved. For details, see Save Picture Command (p. 19).
New Case Command

To display the object selector and begin a new ANSYS TurboGrid simulation, select File > New Case from the
main menu or click New Case
Load BladeGen Command

To load a BladeGen inf file, select File > Load BladeGen. The Open BladeGen File dialog box is displayed.
Select a file to load, then click Open. The inf is structured as follows:

10
Load Curves Command
!====== CFX-BladeGen Export ========

Axis of Rotation: Z
Number of Blade Sets: 9
Number of Blades Per Set: 2
Geometry Units: MM
<---- Unknown|IN|MM|FT|MI|M|KM|MIL|UM|CM|UIN
Blade 0 LE: EllipseEnd
<---- EllipseEnd|CutoffEnd|SquareEnd
Blade 0 TE: CutOffEnd
Blade 1 LE: EllipseEnd
Blade 1 TE: CutOffEnd
Hub Data File: hub3.curve
Shroud Data File: shroud3.curve
Profile Data File: profile3.curve
(The statements following <---- are comments that show possible values. They are not part of the format.)
If the inf file does not specify the curve files, you may turn on an option in the dialog box (called Guess missing
curve files) in order to guess the names of the missing curve files. The algorithm for guessing curve files looks for
files in the working directory with a .curve or .crv extension, with hub, shroud, or profile in the name
(using a case-insensitive search). If the curve file names are unusual, you should verify that the correct curve files
were selected by opening the appropriate Geometry object (for example, the Hub object) in the object editor, or
by selecting File > Load Curves and examining the curve file names.
If a Bladegen.inf file specifies multiple blades in the blade set, multiple blades will be generated.
Note
After loading a BladeGen.inf file, the Curve Type settings for the Hub and Shroud objects will be set
to Piece-wise linear instead of the default (Bspline).
Load Curves Command

To load new geometry curves, select File > Load Curves from the main menu or click Load Curves
TurboGrid Curves dialog box is displayed.
. The Load

11
Geometry
This dialog box provides a convenient way to define multiple geometry objects, compared to editing each geometry
object separately using the object selector. It is useful when you first open ANSYS TurboGrid and when you want
to use the same settings on a slightly modified geometry.
The information specified on the Load TurboGrid Curves dialog box will be used to overwrite the corresponding
information in the appropriate geometry objects. No other previously-defined settings are affected. For example, if
a control angle is defined for the Hub object, it will not be changed by using the Load TurboGrid Curves dialog
box.
If a curve file that specifies multiple blades in the blade set is specified for the Blade Set object, multiple blades
will be generated. If a curve file that specifies multiple blades in the blade set is specified for a particular blade
object (stored under the Blade Set object in the object selector), only the first blade in the file is used. If blade
names are not included in the curve file, then names will be generated in the form Blade n, where n is an integer.
Geometry
A rotating machine component is made up of adjacent blades which are equally spaced around the circumference
of the machine. The Theta extent of one blade set is calculated as 360 degrees divided by the number of main blades.
Many rotating machine components have secondary and tertiary blades which are placed between the main blades.

12
Rotation
These are often called splitter blades. A blade set contains one main blade and optional splitter blades which repeat
cyclically around the axis of the rotating machine component.
For rotating machine components without any splitter blades, the number of blade sets equals the total number of
blades.
ANSYS TurboGrid creates a mesh for one blade set only. The mesh can be copied and rotated using an ANSYS
CFX Pre-processor, if necessary, before it is solved in an ANSYS CFX Solver.
Rotation
Click
next to the method box to see the available methods for defining the machine's rotation axis.
Using Principal Axis, select the rotation axis from the X, Y or Z axes using the Axis drop-down list.
Using Rotation Axis, define a custom rotation axis by entering the Cartesian coordinates of 2 points on
the axis. The coordinates of the points can be typed in or set using the embedded sliders.
Coordinates and Units

Click
next to the corresponding boxes to select the coordinates, angle units, and length units used in the hub,
shroud, and blade files. If any of these are not the same for all three geometry files, use the object selector to
individually define them.
TurboGrid Curve Files

To specify a curve file, set a file name using a path relative to the working directory. You can click the corresponding
Browse
icon to select a curve file using a browser.
Leading/Trailing Edge Definition on the Blade

Define whether the trailing edge is cut-off or square. Optionally specify a line-of-rotation division of the
mesh that stems from the trailing edge at the hub and shroud. The same applies for the leading edge.
Load CFG Command

To load ANSYS TurboGrid 1.6 simulation setup (CFG) files, select File > Load CFG from the main menu to access
the Load CFG File dialog box.
The Length Units setting in the dialog box must be set correctly. The units that you specify will be used to interpret
the data stored in the curve files specified by the CFG file.
The following data is loaded from a CFG file:
# of passages
axis of rotation
existence of tip and location
coordinate frame for curve files
hub, shroud and blade curve file names
existence of inlet and outlet regions
Reread Curves Command

To re-load the curve files that have previously been loaded into memory, select File > Reread Curves. This command
is useful if you are updating the files in, for example, ANSYS BladeGen/BladeModeler, and you want to re-load
the updated files into ANSYS TurboGrid.

13
Load State Command (Import State Command)
Load State Command (Import State Command)

A previously saved state file can be loaded into ANSYS TurboGrid. To load a state file in standalone mode, select
File > Load State from the main menu or click Load State
on the toolbar; when running in ANSYS Workbench,
select File > Import State. The Load State File dialog box is displayed.
If any file specified in a state or session file cannot be found, ANSYS TurboGrid will automatically search the state
or session file directory for a file of the same name. If this search fails, the current working directory will be searched.
As a result, state and session files will not have to be edited to change the path when state, session and curve files
are moved from one directory to another.
Select the Load as new simulation radio button to delete all existing objects and create new objects which are
defined in the state file.
Select the Append to current simulation radio button to add all objects defined in the state file to the existing
objects. Existing objects are not removed unless they have the same name as an object in the state file, in which
case they are replaced. Loading a state file in this way allows the use of a number of state files as building blocks
for commonly used objects.
Note
Since the TOPOLOGY SET object is now suspended by default, session and state files from version 11
or earlier may not play or load correctly. To support older session and state files, the Play Session File
and Load State dialog boxes have an option named Unsuspend TOPOLOGY SET before loading.
Selecting this option causes the TOPOLOGY SET object to be unsuspended before playing/loading a
session/state file. When starting ANSYS TurboGrid from the command line, adding the command line
parameter -u causes the TOPOLOGY SET object to be initially unsuspended.
Save State Command (Export State Command)

If you have not saved a state file during the current ANSYS TurboGrid session, selecting File > Save State from
the main menu (File > Export State when running in ANSYS Workbench) opens the Save State dialog box where
you can type a file name for your state file. For details, see Save State As Command (p. 14).
If you have already saved a state file during the current ANSYS TurboGrid session, selecting File > Save State
from the main menu overwrites that file. To save a state to a different file name, select File > Save State As... from
the main menu. For details, see Save State As Command (p. 14).
Save State As Command

Saving a state file produces a text file containing CCL commands for the current ANSYS TurboGrid state. To save
a state to a new file, select File > Save State As... from the main menu or click Save State As...
State dialog box is displayed.
. The Save

14
Save Project
Set Look in to the directory in which you want to create the state file.
In the list on the right side, select the objects to include in the state file, or select Save All Objects. If Save All
Objects is selected, the current state of all objects is written to the state file. If Save All Objects is cleared, select
the objects to save to the state file by clicking on each object. The current state of all selected objects is written to
the state file.
Enter (or select) a file name, then click Save to save the state file.
A state file is linked to the geometry files from which it was created by an absolute path; therefore, the location of
the geometry files should not be changed. This also applies to topology files if the From File option is selected for
a Topology Set object.
State files are automatically saved with a .tst file extension.
Save Project
When running in ANSYS Workbench, you can select File > Save Project to save the entire ANSYS Workbench
project.
Refresh
When running in ANSYS Workbench, you can select File > Refresh to refresh the associated Turbo Mesh cell.
Save Submenu
Many objects that can be saved or saved under a different name are listed under the Save submenu.
Save Blade Command (p. 16)
Save Blade As Command (p. 16)
Save Periodic/Interface Surfaces Command (p. 16)
Save Inlet Command (p. 16)
Save Inlet As Command (p. 16)
Save Outlet Command (p. 16)
Save Outlet As Command (p. 16)
Save Topology Command (p. 16)
Save Topology As Command (p. 16)

15
Save Blade Command
Save Blade Command

If you have not saved a blade file during the current ANSYS TurboGrid session, selecting File > Save > Blade
from the main menu opens the Save Blade dialog box where you can type a file name for your blade file. For details,
see Save Blade As Command (p. 16).
If you have already saved a blade file during the current ANSYS TurboGrid session, selecting File > Save > Blade
from the main menu overwrites that file. To save a blade to a different file name, select File > Save > Blade As...
from the main menu. For details, see Save Blade As Command (p. 16).
Save Blade As Command

Saving a blade file produces a text file defining the current blade, which can then be used to define the blade for
future meshes. If the same changes to the blade would otherwise be repeated, this eliminates wasted time. To save
a blade to a new file, select File > Save > Blade As from the main menu. The Save Blade dialog box is displayed.
Blade files are saved with a .crv file extension if the file type is All Blade Files (*.crv *.curve).
Save Periodic/Interface Surfaces Command

Saving the periodic/interface surfaces produces a text file describing the location and shape of the interfaces between
adjacent blades. You can optionally set a base name for constructing the data file name. You can optionally change
the units in which to save the data.
Save Inlet Command

Saving the inlet produces a text file describing the location and shape of the inlet region. This includes any added
inlet points.
Inlet files are saved with a .crv file extension if the file type is All Inlet Files (*.crv *.curve).
Save Inlet As Command

Save an inlet (see above) to an alternative filename.
Save Outlet Command

Saving the outlet produces a text file describing the location and shape of the outlet region. This includes any added
inlet points.
Outlet files are saved with a .crv file extension if the file type is All Outlet Files (*.crv *.curve).
Save Outlet As Command

Save an outlet (see above) to an alternative filename.
Save Topology Command

If you have not saved a topology file during the current ANSYS TurboGrid session, selecting File > Save > Save
Topology from the main menu opens the Save Topology dialog box where you can type a file name for the topology
file. For details, see Save Topology As Command (p. 16).
If you have already saved a topology file during the current ANSYS TurboGrid session, selecting File > Save >
Save Topology from the main menu overwrites that file. To save a topology to a different file name, select File >
Save > Save Topology As from the main menu. For details, see Save Topology As Command (p. 16).
Save Topology As Command

Saving a topology file produces a text file defining the current topology. This file can then be used to define the
topology for other geometries, which may be necessary for certain analyses. To save a topology to a new file, select

16
Save Mesh Command
File > Save > Save Topology As from the main menu or click Save Topology As
is displayed.
. The Save Topology window
Topology files are saved with a .tgt file extension automatically.
Save Mesh Command

If you have not saved a mesh during the current ANSYS TurboGrid session, selecting File > Save Mesh from the
main menu opens the Save Mesh dialog box where you can type a file name for the mesh file(s). For details, see
Save Mesh As Command (p. 17).
If you have already saved a mesh during the current ANSYS TurboGrid session, selecting File > Save Mesh from
the main menu overwrites the file(s). To save a mesh to a different name, select File > Save Mesh As from the
main menu. For details, see Save Mesh As Command (p. 17).
Save Mesh As Command

Saving a mesh file produces input files for ANSYS CFX or CFX-TASCflow, or produces a CGNS file. To save a
mesh to a new file, select File > Save > Save Mesh As from the main menu or click Save Mesh As
Save Mesh dialog box is displayed.
. The
Save Mesh Dialog Box
Set Look in to the directory in which you want to create the mesh file.
File Type
If File type is set to ANSYS CFX, a file of type .gtm is saved by default (i.e., if no extension is specified). You
can also save a file of type .def by adding the .def extension to the specified filename. Both .gtm and .def
files contain regions that can be used in CFX-Pre to set up a CFD problem.
If File type is set to CFX-TASCflow, four types of file are saved: .grd, .bcf, .gci and .lun. A .grd file
contains a number of regions that can be used in CFX-TASCflow to set up the CFD problem. If you specify the
filename mycustomname or mycustomname.grd, ANSYS TurboGrid saves files named mycustomname.grd,
mycustomname.bcf, mycustomname.gci, and mycustomname.lun. If you specify a filename of grd,
ANSYS TurboGrid saves files named grd, bcf, gci, and name.lun. If File type is switched to CFX-TASCflow
when the specified file name is blank, ANSYS TurboGrid sets the file name to grd.
If File type is set to CGNS, a .cgns file is saved. The .cgns file can be used by, for example, CFX-Pre, CFD-Post,
and FLUENT.
17
Region Naming
If you change File type, any existing file extension (for example, .def or .grd) is changed automatically in the
specified file name.
Export Units
Set Export Units to the length unit for the exported mesh.
Write In/Out/Passage As
If File type is set to ANSYS CFX, the following options are available:
Separate domains, one file The inlet and outlet blocks remain separate from the passage block. Three separate
assemblies appear in CFX-Pre. This choice is ideal when you wish to place the inlet and outlet blocks in a
different frame of reference from the passage.
Combined in one domain, one file

The inlet and outlet blocks are combined with (merged with) the passage block. One combined assembly appears
in CFX-Pre. This choice is ideal when you wish to keep the inlet and outlet blocks in the same frame of reference
as the passage.
Separate domains, multiple files

The inlet and outlet blocks are combined with (merged with) the passage block. One combined assembly appears
in CFX-Pre. This choice is ideal when you wish to keep the inlet and outlet blocks in the same frame of reference
as the passage.
If File type is set to CFX-TASCflow, three sets of files are saved using the same naming convention as for CFX.
This means that there will be a FILENAME_Inlet, FILENAME_Outlet, and a FILENAME all of which will
each have a file with a .grd, .bcf, .gci and .lun extension.
Write Single Precision Mesh

If File type is set to ANSYS CFX, you can select the Write single precision mesh check box to cause a
single-precision mesh file to be written instead of a double-precision file. The default is double-precision. There is
little benefit to using single-precision other than to reduce the size of the mesh file.
Generate Periodic and GGI Interfaces

This option is available if File type is set to CFX-TASCflow. This option causes the export to carry out the
following steps:
Create a .gci file for each mesh which defines macros for generating periodic interfaces in CFX-TASCbob3D.
Run CFX-TASCbob3D in batch (if CFX-TASCflow is installed with a valid license), execute the required
macros to generate the interfaces between blades (passage and periodic interfaces), and update the .grd and
.bcf files as required.
Region Naming
The regions saved to the .gtm, .def and .grd files are BLADE, PER1, PER2, HUB, SHROUD, INFLOW and
OUTFLOW.
If the mesh has an inlet or outlet 3D region, additional regions will be created in the files for these domains with
the suffix Inlet or Outlet. For example, the regions for a case with an inlet 3D region are PER1 Inlet, PER2 Inlet,
HUB Inlet, SHROUD Inlet, INFLOW and OUTFLOW Inlet. The same applies for an outlet 3D region and for the
Passage Region. For the parts specific to a region (BLADE for Passage, INFLOW for Inlet, and OUTFLOW for
Outlet), no suffix is added.
Export Geometry Command

The geometry in ANSYS TurboGrid can be exported to a tetin file format which can then be read by ICEM CFD
products. To export a geometry to a tetin file, select File > Export Geometry from the main menu. The Export
Geometry dialog box is displayed.
18
Save Picture Command

Geometry files are saved with a .tin file extension automatically.

To save the current contents of the viewer window to a file, select File > Save Picture from the main menu or click
Save Picture
. The Save Picture dialog box is displayed.
Save Picture Dialog Box
Type a file name and path into the File box, or click Browse
directory and file name.
to open a dialog box that helps you to select a
Files are always saved with the file extension corresponding to the selected graphics format.
Format
Click
next to the Format box to see the available file formats.
Portable Network Graphics (*.png) is a file format intended to replace the GIF format. It was designed
for use on the WorldWide Web and retains many of the features of GIF with new features added.
CFX Viewer State (3D) (*.cvf) is a format that can be read by the standalone CFX viewer.
JPEG (*.jpg) is a compressed file format developed for compressing raw digital information. File sizes are
small but it is not recommended for line drawings.
Bitmap (*.bmp) files are usually large and do not adjust well to resizing or editing. They do retain all of the
quality of the original image and can be easily converted to other formats.
Portable Pixel Map (*.ppm) is similar to the bitmap format.
PostScript (*.ps) and Encapsulated PostScript (*.eps) are recommended for output to a printer
or line drawings.

19
Recent State Files Submenu
Virtual Reality Modeling Language (*.wrl) is used to present interactive three-dimensional

views and can be delivered across the World Wide Web.
Use Screen Capture Check Box

When Use Screen Capture is selected, a screen capture of the viewer is saved to the output file.
Note
Face culling only affects printouts made using the screen capture method.
White Background Check Box

You can save the current image with a white background by selecting White Background.
When the White Background check box is selected, certain white objects are colored black and certain black objects
are colored white in the image file (except VRML). Objects that are not affected can usually be manually colored
by editing them.
Enhanced Output (Smooth Edges) Check Box

When Enhanced Output (Smooth Edges) is selected, the image is processed by antialiasing.
Use Screen Size Check Box

When Use Screen Size is selected, the output has the same width and height, measured in pixels, as shown in the
viewer. You can clear the check box to specify the width and height manually.
Width and Height Settings

You can specify the width and height of the image in pixels by entering values for Width and Height. In order to
use these settings, the Use Screen Size check box must be cleared.
Scale (%)
Scale (%) is used to scale the size of bitmap images to a fraction (in percent) of the current viewer window size.
This option is disabled with the clearing of the Use Screen Size check box.
Image Quality
Image Quality is only available for the JPEG format. Type in the value for the image quality, increase or decrease
the value by 1 by clicking or respectively, or use the embedded slider (which has a maximum value of 100,
which is the highest image quality, and a minimum value of 1, which is the lowest image quality).
Tolerance
Tolerance is a non-dimensional value used in face sorting when generating pictures. Larger values result in faster
generation times, but may cause defects in the resulting output.
Save Button
Click Save to save the current viewer contents to an image file.
Recent State Files Submenu

ANSYS TurboGrid saves the file paths of the last several state files opened. To re-open a recently used state file,
select File > Recent State Files from the main menu and then select the file from the Recent State Files submenu.

20
Recent Session Files Submenu
Recent Session Files Submenu

ANSYS TurboGrid saves the file paths of the last several session files opened. To re-open a recently used session
file, select File > Recent Session Files from the main menu and then select the file from the Recent Session Files
submenu.
Quit Command
To exit from ANSYS TurboGrid select Quit from the file menu. Objects created during the ANSYS TurboGrid
session are not automatically saved. If you want to save the objects before quitting, create a state file. For details,
see Save State Command (Export State Command) (p. 14).

21

Chapter 3. Edit Menu

The following sections describe the commands available in the Edit menu:
Undo and Redo Commands (p. 23)
Options Command (p. 23)
Undo and Redo Commands

ANSYS TurboGrid includes an infinite Undo feature, limited only by the available memory on the machine and a
few other restrictions described below. Select Edit > Undo from the main menu or click Undo
on the toolbar
to return to the state immediately prior to when the last Apply action was executed. Select Edit > Redo from the
main menu or click Redo
on the toolbar to reapply changes that were undone. A Redo command must follow
an undo or Redo command.

The undo function has a few limitations:
When a mesh is created, the undo stack is cleared, meaning that the mesh creation process itself, and all commands
before it, cannot be undone using the Undo command.
While creating a session file, the undo/redo commands are not available.
Any action which does not affect the state cannot be undone. For example, creating a mesh cannot be undone,
nor can saving a topology file since neither of these actions changes the state.
The undo function cannot return to the initial state of a default object. For example, after defining the Hub object
for the first time, you cannot click Undo to return to the undefined state of the Hub object.
Undo also reverses geometry manipulation when the named view icons located at the top of the Viewer window
have been used. Rotation, zoom and translation actions performed using the mouse are not affected by selecting
Edit > Undo from the main menu or by clicking on the
icon on the toolbar. You can, however, undo some
viewer manipulations. For details, see Viewer Hotkeys (p. 47).

The redo feature is used to reverse an undo action. Selecting Edit > Redo from the main menu or clicking on the
icon on the toolbar can be done repeatedly to reverse as many undo actions as have been applied.
Options Command
Select Edit > Options from the main menu to set various viewer and appearance options in ANSYS TurboGrid.
TurboGrid Options
The Enable Beta Features check box will make the beta features of ANSYS TurboGrid available.
Viewer
Highlight Type controls how an object is highlighted in the viewer window while in picking mode when highlighting
is on. For details, see Viewer Toolbar (p. 45).
If Bounding Box is selected, the object is always highlighted with a red box surrounding the Object.
If Wireframe is selected, the object is traced with a red line if the object contains surfaces.
Background
The following background options are available:
Color: A constant color can be chosen.
Image: One of a list of Predefined images or a Custom image can be selected. When setting a custom
image, you must choose an image file and a type of mapping. The image types that are supported are: bmp,
jpg, png, ppm. Mapping options are Flat and Spherical.

23
Common Options
Text Color and Edge Color

In the standalone version, set text color and edge color as appropriate.
Axis Visibility
If the Axis Visibility check box is selected, the axis appears in the lower left corner of the viewer window. The axis
is useful for reference when the geometry is rotated. The axis labels change when the viewer coordinates are
transformed.
Ruler Visibility
If the Ruler Visibility check box is selected, a ruler appears in the viewer to show the length scale.
Common Options
ANSYS TurboGrid includes an auto-save function which backs up work at set time intervals by saving a state file.
Select the frequency of the auto save by picking a value from the drop-down list. Auto Save can be disabled by
selecting Never from the list.
To change the directory in which auto-saved state files are saved, type a file name and path into the Temporary
Dir box, or click on the browse icon beside the Temporary Dir box to open the Temporary Directory dialog box.
Appearance
Click on Appearance in the options box to control the appearance of the GUI.
ANSYS TurboGrid sets the GUI Style to that of the machine's platform, by default. For example, on Windows the
GUI has a Windows look to it. If you prefer an SGI appearance to the GUI, then select SGI from the drop-down
list. Any of the following appearances can be used on any platform:
Windows
Motif
Motif Plus
SGI
Platinum
CDE
The font used within the GUI can be changed by clicking on the font button to open the Select Font window.
Viewer Setup: General

Viewer options under the Common branch are Double Buffering and Unlimited Zoom toggles.
Note
Using Unlimited Zoom will allow the exceeding of the depth buffer accuracy, resulting in rendering
artifacts.

24
Common Options
Double Buffering
Double Buffering is a feature supported by most OpenGL implementations. It provides two complete color
buffers that swap between each other to animate graphics smoothly. If your implementation of OpenGL does not
support double buffering, you can clear this check box.
Unlimited Zoom
By default, zoom is restricted to prevent graphics problems related to depth sorting. Selecting Unlimited Zoom
allows an unrestricted zoom.
Viewer Setup: Mouse Mapping

The mouse mapping options enable you to assign viewer actions to mouse actions and keyboard/mouse combined
actions.
A description of each action follows.
Rotate: rotate the view about the screen X and Y axes.
Object Zoom: drag the mouse up to zoom out and down to zoom in.
Camera Zoom: drag the mouse up to zoom in and down to zoom out.
Translate: drag the mouse to translate the view in the plane of the screen.
Zoom Box: drag a rectangle around the area of interest. The selected area will fill the viewer when the mouse
button is released.
Zoom In: click the mouse button to zoom in step-by-step centered on the location of the mouse pointer.
Zoom Out: click the mouse button to zoom out step-by-step centered on the location of the mouse pointer.
Rotate Z: drag the mouse up to rotate the view clockwise about the screen Z axis, and down to rotate the view
counterclockwise.
Set Pivot Point: click on an object to set the point about which the Rotate and Rotate Z actions pivot.
Move Light: drag to move the angle of the virtual light source in the viewer. Drag the mouse left or right to
move the horizontal lighting source and up or down to move the vertical lighting source. The lighting angle
holds two angular values, each between 0 and 180.
Units
Click on Units in the options box to control the units which are presented in the GUI for each Quantity Type.
Select a pre-defined Units System such as SI, English Engineering or British Technical. The
predefined Units for any quantity types in these units systems cannot be changed. Select the Custom units system
to specify any valid units for each quantity type. For example, you may want to display Length in mm (an SI unit),
but Angle in radians (not an SI unit). Click on More Quantity Types to display the Custom Quantity Types
form and set custom units for more quantity types.
The units set on this panel define the units used in the GUI for all quantity types. The units you select for a quantity
type appear wherever that quantity type is used. For example, if you choose mm as the unit of Length and create a
plot in ANSYS TurboGrid colored by Length, you must specify a user specified length range in units of mm. If
you created a Legend for the plot, the values on the Legend would be in units of mm.
If the Always convert units to Preferred Units check box is selected, all quantities entered in the GUI are converted
into the preferred units.
Note
Setting units in the variable editor will override the actual setting for that quantity type.
Advanced
The cmd timeout value is an advanced feature. It sets the delay between a mouse control action and its execution.

25

Chapter 4. Session Menu

The following sections describe the commands available in the Session menu:
Introduction (p. 27)
Play Session Command (p. 27)
New Session Command (p. 28)
Start Recording Command (p. 28)
Stop Recording Command (p. 28)
Introduction
Session files contain a record of the commands issued during a ANSYS TurboGrid session. Actions that cause
commands to be written to a session file include:
Creation of new objects and changes to existing objects committed by clicking Apply in the object editor.
Creation of a mesh.
Commands issued in the Command Editor dialog box.
Calculations performed in the built-in calculator.
Viewer manipulation performed using the icons located at the top of the viewer window. (Viewer manipulation
performed using the mouse and keyboard are not recorded to a session file.)
Creation of new cameras and selecting a camera view.
All actions available from the File menu.
Creation of expressions and user variables.
Creation of chart lines and viewing charts.
Session files can be used to run ANSYS TurboGrid in batch mode. For details, see Batch Mode (p. 37) in the ANSYS
TurboGrid Reference Guide.
Note
Since the session file is a text file of CCL commands, you can write your own session files using a text
editor.
Note
Do not end your session file with the quit command.
Play Session Command

A previously recorded session file can be played in ANSYS TurboGrid. To play a session file, select Session >
Play Session from the main menu or click Play Session
displayed.
on the toolbar. The Play Session File dialog box is
The commands listed in the selected session file are executed. Existing objects with the same name as objects defined
in the session file are replaced by those in the session file.
For any file specified in a state or session file, if the file cannot be found ANSYS TurboGrid will automatically
search the state or session file directory for a file of the same name. If this procedure fails, the current working
directory will be searched. As a result, state and session files will not have to be edited to change the path when
state, session and curve files are moved from one directory to another.
Note
A session file cannot be played if it contains the Undo command. To run a session file which contains
the Undo command, edit the session file first to remove the command.
27
New Session Command
Note
Since the TOPOLOGY SET object is now suspended by default, session and state files from version 11
or earlier may not play or load correctly. To support older session and state files, the Play Session File
and Load State dialog boxes have an option named Unsuspend TOPOLOGY SET before loading.
Selecting this option causes the TOPOLOGY SET object to be unsuspended before playing/loading a
session/state file. When starting ANSYS TurboGrid from the command line, adding the command line
parameter -u causes the TOPOLOGY SET object to be initially unsuspended.
New Session Command

To create a new Session file, select Session > New Session from the main menu or click New Session
toolbar. The Set Session File dialog box is displayed.
on the
Upon clicking Save in the dialog window, that file becomes the current session file. Commands are not written to
the file until recording begins. For details, see Start Recording Command (p. 28).
Session files should be saved with a .tse file extension. The extension is added to a file name if TG Session
Files (*.tse) is selected as the file type.
If you create more than one session file during a ANSYS TurboGrid session, the most recently created file is by
default the current session file. To set a different file to be the current session file, select an existing file from the
Set Session File dialog box and then click Save. The following message then appears:
Click Overwrite to delete the existing session file and create a new file in its place. Click Append to add selected
commands to the end of the existing session file when recording begins.
Start Recording Command

To start recording a session file, select Session > Start Recording from the main menu or click Start Recording
on the toolbar. This activates recording of CCL commands issued to the current session file. A session file
must be set before recording can begin. For details, see New Session Command (p. 28).
While recording a session file, the Undo
and Redo
icons are disabled.
Stop Recording Command

To stop recording a session file, select Session > Stop Recording from the main menu or click Stop Recording
on the toolbar. This terminates recording of CCL commands issued to the current session file. Start and stop recording
to a session file as many times as necessary.

28
Chapter 5. Insert Menu

The following sections describe the commands available in the Insert menu:
Mesh Command (p. 29)
User Defined Submenu (p. 29)
Introduction
The Insert menu contains a list of objects which, although not necessary for mesh generation, can be used as tools
to analyze the mesh and geometry.
When you select any of the objects from the Insert menu, a dialog box appears in which you can either accept the
default name or type a new one for the object (in this case a plane). The name should be different from any current
object of the same type to avoid overwriting the existing object. ANSYS TurboGrid does not let you create objects
with the same name but different types.
Click OK or press Enter to open the relevant object editor. The object does not exist in the database until you click
Apply in the object editor. For information on how to create objects from the command line see Object Creation
and Deletion (p. 13) in the ANSYS TurboGrid Reference Guide
Mesh Command
The flow path through the rotating machine is divided into small but discrete volumes. These volumes are hexahedral
elements which have six sides and eight corners. There are nodes placed on each corner and the assembly of these
nodes forms the mesh. The mesh fills the entire flow path and is used by ANSYS CFX solvers. The quality of the
solution depends partly on the quality of the Mesh. To create a mesh, select Insert > Mesh from the main menu,
click Insert Mesh
on the toolbar, or right-click anywhere in the viewer or tree view and select Insert Mesh
from the shortcut menu.
ANSYS TurboGrid creates the mesh using the current state of the Topology Set and Mesh Data objects. The
time it takes to create the mesh depends on its size and the number of smoothing iterations chosen. Displayed in
the status bar at the bottom left corner of the application window is an estimate of the total number of nodes and
the total number of elements in the mesh. After the mesh is created, the color and rendering settings in the viewer
window can be controlled for each individual mesh surface.
If changes are made to any of the Geometry, Topology Set, Mesh Data, or Layers objects, the mesh must
be recreated in order for these changes to be included in the mesh.
User Defined Submenu

The User Defined submenu lists commands that create new objects.
Point Command
A point can exist anywhere within or outside the domain. To create a new point, select Insert > User Defined >
Point from the main menu.

29
Line Command
Point: Geometry Tab

Point Definition
The available options for defining a point are described next:
XYZ
Set the point coordinates. To set the coordinates, first click on one of the point coordinate boxes. The point
coordinates will be displayed with a yellow background, and the viewer will switch to picking mode. You can
then pick a point directly by clicking a visible object in the viewer. The point can lie outside of the domain.
You can alternatively set the coordinates one-at-a-time by typing in the coordinates and/or using the embedded
slider that appears beneath the coordinate boxes.
Node Number
Create a point at a nodal location. Use the Domains drop-down list to select the domain(s) in which the point
exists. After choosing the domain(s) in which to select the node, enter the node number. Type in the node number
or set it using the embedded sliders. When more than one domain is selected, a point is created for the specified
node number in each domain (if the node number exists). If the node number does not exist in one domain but
exists in another, select only the domain in which the node exists or an error message is displayed.
Variable Minimum/Variable Maximum

Create the point where a variable is at its maximum or minimum value on any named locator. The Domains
drop-down list is used to select the domain(s) in which the user surface exists. After choosing the domain(s),
select the locator name and the variable of interest. When more than one domain is selected, a point is created
for the maximum/minimum value of the variable within each domain.
Symbol Definition
The Symbol Size must be between 0 and 10 (10 being a similar scale to the geometry). Type in the value or set it
using the embedded slider.
Set Symbol to one of the available symbols.
Picking Mode can be used to select and/or translate points in the viewer. For details, see Viewer Toolbar (p. 45).
Note
You cannot move points which have been defined using Node Number or Variable Min/Max.
Point: Color Tab

See Color Tab (p. 4) for details.
Point: Render Tab

See Render Tab (p. 5) for details.
Line Command
A line locator can exist between two points anywhere within or outside the domain. To create a new line, select
Insert > User Defined > Line from the main menu.
Line: Geometry Tab

Domains
Select the domain(s) in which the line will exist.

30
Plane Command
Line Definition
Lines are created by defining two points. To set the coordinates, first click on one of the point coordinate boxes.
The point coordinates will be displayed with a yellow background, and the viewer will switch to picking mode.
You can then pick a point directly by clicking a visible object in the viewer. The point can lie outside of the domain.
Line Type
Set the Line Type to either Cut or Sample.
Cut extends the line in both directions until it reaches the edge of the domain. Points on the line correspond to
points where the line intersects a mesh element face. As a result, the number of points on the line is indirectly
proportional to the mesh spacing.
Sample creates the line between the two specified points. The sample line is a set of evenly-spaced sampling
points which are independent of the mesh spacing. The number of points along the line corresponds to the value
in the Samples box.
Picking Mode can be used to select and/or translate lines in the viewer. For details, see Viewer Toolbar (p. 45).
Line: Color Tab

Line: Render Tab

Plane Command
A plane locator is a two-dimensional area that exists only within the boundaries of the geometry. To create a new
plane, select Insert > User Defined > Plane from the main menu.
Plane: Geometry Tab

Domains
Select the domain(s) in which the plane will exist.
Plane Definition
The available methods for defining a plane are described next:
YZ Plane
Create a plane normal to the X axis and at a specific X value. Type in the X value, set it using the embedded
slider or click Enter Expression
to the right of the X option, and enter its value as an expression. For details,
see Expressions Command (p. 54).
ZX Plane
Create a plane normal to the Y axis and at a specific Y value. Type in the Y value, set it using the embedded
to the right of the Y option, and enter its value as an expression. For details,
XY Plane
Create a plane normal to the Z axis and at a specific Z value. Type in the Z value, set it using the embedded
to the right of the Z option, and enter its value as an expression. For details,
Point and Normal

31
Plane Command
Create a plane using a single point on the plane and a vector normal to the plane.
To set the point coordinates, first click on one of the point coordinate boxes. The point coordinates will be
displayed with a yellow background and the viewer will switch to picking mode. You can then pick a point
directly by clicking a visible object in the viewer. The point can lie outside of the domain.
When picking a point from the viewer for the normal vector, the vector is taken from the origin to the point
picked.
Three Points
Create a plane using three points. To set the point coordinates, first click on one of the point coordinate boxes.
The point coordinates will be displayed with a yellow background, and the viewer will switch to picking mode.
You can then pick a point directly by clicking a visible object in the viewer. The point can lie outside of the
domain.
The normal vector to the plane is calculated using the right-hand rule. The first vector is from Point 1 to Point 2
and the second is from Point 1 to Point 3 as shown in the diagram below.
Plane Bounds
The available types of bounds are described next:
When None is selected the plane cuts through a complete cross-section of each domain specified in the Domains
list. The plane is only bounded by the limits of the domain.
The Circular option defines the bounds of a plane as a circle centered at the Point used in the Plane Definition.
Enter the value of the radius of the circle or click Enter Expression
to the right of the Radius option to
enter an expression for the radius of the circle. The plane is undefined in areas where the circle extends outside
of the domains specified in the Domains list.
For the Rectangle option the plane bounds are defined by a rectangle centered about the point selected in the
plane definition with lengths in the x and y-directions of X Size and Y Size respectively. The size is determined
with reference to the plane center (i.e., the plane is resized around its center). The X Angle value rotates the
plane counter-clockwise about its normal by the specified number of degrees. The plane is undefined in areas
where the rectangle extends outside of the domains specified in the Domains list.
Both the circular and rectangular options have an Invert Plane Bounds check box. If this check box is selected,
the area defined by the rectangle or circle is used as a cut-out area from a slice plane which is bounded only by the
domain(s). The area inside the bounds of the rectangle or circle does not form part of the plane, but everything on
the slice plane outside of these bounds is included.
Plane Type
Set the Plane Type to either Slice or Sample.
32
Turbo Surface Command

Slice extends the plane in all directions until it reaches the edge of the domain. Points on the plane correspond to
points where the plane intersects an edge of the mesh. As a result, the number of points in a slice plane is indirectly
proportional to the mesh spacing.
Sample creates the plane with either circular or rectangular bounds, depending on the plane bounds selected. For
the Circular option, the density of points on the plane corresponds to the radius of the plane specified in the Plane
Bound frame, and the value in the Samples box for the radial and circumferential directions. For rectangular bounds,
the density of points on the plane corresponds to the size of the bounds for the plane in each of the plane directions,
and the value in the Samples box for each of the two coordinate directions that describe the plane. A sample plane
is a set of evenly-spaced points which are independent of the mesh spacing.
Picking Mode can be used to select and/or translate planes in the viewer. For details, see Viewer Toolbar (p. 45).
Plane: Color Tab

Plane: Render Tab

Turbo Surface Command

A Turbo Surface is a surface that exists only within the boundaries of the geometry and is defined using variables
specific to rotating machinery. To create a new turbo surface, select Insert > User Defined > Turbo Surface from
the main menu.
Turbo Surface: Geometry Tab

Domains
Select the domain(s) in which the turbo surface will exist.
Turbo Surface Definition

ANSYS TurboGrid creates a turbo surface using a defined variable and its value. Set the domain to either All
Domains or DOMAIN:Passage. Select a variable and set a value to define the location of the turbo surface (The
variable is K by default, which is the mesh plane index that varies from hub to shroud for H-Grid and J-Grid
topologies.). You may enter the value directly, set the value using the embedded slider, or click Enter Expression
to the right of the Value option to enter an expression for the value (Click in the Value option to make the icon
and slider appear.).
Turbo Surface: Color Tab

Turbo Surface: Render Tab

Volume Command
A volume is a collection of mesh elements and can be created anywhere within the domain. To create a new volume,
select Insert > User Defined > Volume from the main menu.
Volume: Geometry Tab

Domains
Select the domain(s) in which the volume will exist.

33
Volume Command
Volume Definition
The available methods for defining a volume are described next:
Sphere
Create a volume in the shape of a sphere by defining the center point and radius for the sphere.
To set the coordinates of the center points, first click on one of the point coordinate boxes. The point coordinates
will be displayed with a yellow background, and the viewer will switch to picking mode. You can then pick a
point directly by clicking a visible object in the viewer. The point can lie outside of the domain.
Type in the radius value or set it using the embedded slider. Ensure that the units are set correctly. The
Intersection Mode plots any volume elements which intersect the sphere surface. The Above or Below
Intersection Mode plots above or below the volume elements which intersect the sphere surface
respectively. If the Inclusive check box is checked with Above Intersection or Below Intersection
selected, the intersected volume elements are plotted along with those above or below the intersection,
respectively.
From Surface
Create a volume using an existing surface. Set Location to one or more of the available surfaces for defining
the volume (Use Ctrl to multi-select.). The Intersection Mode plots any volume elements which intersect
the surface. The Above or Below Intersection Mode plots above or below the volume elements which
intersect the surface respectively. If the Inclusive check box is checked with Above Intersection or
Below Intersection selected, the intersected volume elements are plotted along with those above or
below the intersection, respectively.
Isovolume
Create a volume based on the value(s) of a variable. Click
next to the variable box to see the available
variables for defining the volume to be created. Type in the value(s), set the value(s) using the embedded slider
or, by clicking Enter Expression
to the right of the Units box, enter the value(s) as an expression. Set the
units for the variable(s) appropriately. At Value Mode plots any volume elements with the defined variable
value. Above or Below Value Mode plots above or below the volume elements with the defined variable
value. If the Inclusive check box is checked with Above or Below Value selected, the volume elements
with the variable value are plotted along with those above or below the variable value, respectively. The Between
Values Mode plots any volume elements between the defined variable values. If the Inclusive check box is
checked with Between Values selected, the volume elements with the variable values are plotted along with
those above or below the variable values, respectively.
Hybrid/Conservative
For Isovolume, the option of using hybrid or conservative values is available. Unless you are post-processing CFD
results using ANSYS TurboGrid, this option can be ignored. For details, see Hybrid and Conservative Variable
Values (p. 57).
Note
Volumes are not displayed as perfect shapes (e.g., a perfect sphere) because mesh elements are either
included or excluded from the Volume. You can choose to create a Sphere, Plane or Isovolume.
Volume: Color Tab

Volume: Render Tab


34
Isosurface Command
Isosurface Command
An Isosurface is a surface upon which a particular variable has a constant value, called the level. To create a new
Isosurface, select Insert > User Defined > Isosurface from the main menu.
Isosurface: Geometry Tab

Domains
Select the domain(s) in which the isosurface will exist.
Isosurface Definition
Choose the plot variable for the Isosurface from the Variable menu. Set Variable to one of the available variables
for defining the Isosurface. Type in the variable value, set it using the embedded slider or, by clicking Enter
Expression
to the right of the Units box and entering it as an expression. Set the units for the variable. The
isosurface connects all locations with the specified variable value.
Hybrid/Conservative
The option of using hybrid or conservative values is available. Unless you are post-processing CFD results using
ANSYS TurboGrid, this option can be ignored. For details, see Hybrid and Conservative Variable Values (p. 57).
Isosurface: Color Tab

Note
You may color the Isosurface using any variable or choose a constant color. You should not select the
Local Range option when coloring an Isosurface with the variable used to define it. In this case the Local
Range is zero by definition and a plot would only highlight round-off errors.
Isosurface: Render Tab

Polyline Command
Polyline: Geometry Tab
A polyline is a set of connected line segments that connect a series of points. To create a polyline, select Insert >
User Defined > Polyline from the main menu.
Available methods of creating a polyline are:
From File
Boundary Intersection
The file format for a polyline is shown below:
[Name]
Polyline 1
[Data]
X [ m ], Y [ m ], Z [ m ], Area [ m^2 ], Density [ kg m^-3 ]
-1.04539007e-01, 1.68649014e-02, 5.99999987e-02, 0.00000000e+00, ...
-9.89871025e-02, 3.27597000e-02, 5.99999987e-02, 0.00000000e+00, ...
.
.
.
35
Surface Command
[Lines]
0, 1
1, 2
.
.
.
[Name]
Polyline 2
.
.
.
In this example, the two lines containing data are shown word-wrapped onto the next line. In the actual file, all data
for a given point must be on a single line.
The name of each locator is listed under the Name heading. Point coordinates and the corresponding variable values
are stored in the Data section. Line connectivity data is listed in the Lines section and references points from the
Data section. For this purpose, node numbering in the Data section is consecutive, starting at zero.
Comments in the file are preceded by # (or ## for the CFX-5.6 polyline format) and can appear anywhere in the
file.
Blank lines are ignored and can appear anywhere in the file (except between the [data] and first data line, where
data is one of the key words in square brackets.
Polyline: Color Tab

Polyline: Render Tab

Surface Command
To create a user surface, select Insert > User Defined > Surface from the main menu.
User Surface: Geometry Tab

Method
Choose one of the available methods for defining a user surface.
Boundary Intersection uses the intersection between one or more of the predefined boundaries in the problem and
any 2-D locator to create a user surface. The Domains drop-down list is used to select the domain(s) in which the
user surface is to exist. After choosing the domain(s), select one of the boundaries from the Boundary List drop-down
menu. To select multiple boundaries, click the
icon and hold down Ctrl as you select each boundary. Finally,
select one of the graphic objects which intersects the boundary from the Location menu. When a user surface is
created using the boundary intersection method, a line of intersection between the boundary list and the locator is
created. Any mesh elements through which the line of intersection passes form part of the user surface. This usually
results in a narrow surface with a varying width. The fluctuation in width becomes more noticeable as the mesh
becomes more coarse.
Select the From File alternative when you are not able to create the required surface using the Boundary
Intersection method. This more versatile option reads data describing the surface from a file. The points may
have path variables (variables that are only defined on the Surface) associated with them. For details of the
required format for a surface data file, see Surface Data Format (p. 37). Click the browse icon to open an Import
window and browse to the surface data file. You can alternatively type the path and file name into the Input
File box.

36
Surface Command
Surface Data Format

When the From File method is selected, an external file must exist which defines the surface. A set of surfaces can
be defined in a simple text file with the following format.
## Comment line - optional.

## List of path variables
# <varName1>
# <varName2>
# ...
## List of point locations with path variable values
## Each line in the following list is numbered 0,1,2...
<X> <Y> <Z> <Var1Value> <Var2Value> ...
<X> <Y> <Z> <Var1Value> <Var2Value> ...
...
## Next line is a keyword that starts the definition of faces
# Faces
## List of 3 - 6 point numbers to define faces.
<Point0> <Point1> <Point2>
<Point1> <Point2> <Point3> <Point4> <Point5> <Point6>
...
Comments in the file are preceded by ## and can appear anywhere in the file. A single # does not indicate a comment;
words appearing after a single # are keywords such as Faces.
The start of the file should begin with a list of path variables (up to 256 characters, spaces allowed). These are
variables that are only defined on the user surface. Ensure that the names of these variables do not conflict with the
names of existing variables. There is no need to define any path variables (if you just want to define the location of
a user surface), in which case the file begins with the point location values.
The point location list in X Y Z format follows the optional path variable list. You must also include a value for
each path variable that you have defined at the start of the file (if any). Surfaces are defined by typing # Faces
followed by lists of 3 (triangle) to 6 (hexagon) points to define each surface. Each surface is automatically closed
by connecting the last point to the first point. The list of point locations are numbered 0,1,2....n-1 where n is the
number of points in the list. When defining faces, use these numbers to reference the points in the point location
list. The faces specification is not optional.
Blank lines are ignored and can appear anywhere in the file.
The following example defines one quadrilateral face with two path variables at each point of the face:
#
#
1
1
2
2
#
0
Time
MyVar
1 1 1.2 500
2 1 2.1 200
2 1 3.4 300
1 1 4.65 400
Faces
1 2 3
User Surface: Color Tab

User Surface: Render Tab


37
Contour Command
Surface Groups
Surface groups are produced automatically when a mesh is generated. They are found in the 3D Mesh branch of
the object selector. Each surface group shows a surface of the mesh. The available surface groups vary according
to the number of blades and types of leading and trailing edges. A representative list follows:
HUB, SHROUD
[blade name] LOWBLADE, [blade name] HIGHBLADE

If there is one blade in the blade set, then the surface groups LOWBLADE and HIGHBLADE will be available
after generating a mesh. If there are two or more blades in the blade set, the surface group names start with the
blade name. For example, if there are two blades named Main and Splitter, then surface groups Main
LOWBLADE, Main HIGHBLADE, Splitter LOWBLADE and Splitter HIGHBLADE will be available
after generating a mesh.
[blade name] BLADE LE, [blade name] BLADE TE

If there is one blade in the blade set, then the surface groups BLADE TE and BLADE LE will be available, as
applicable, after generating a mesh. These surface groups are applicable only for cut-off or square leading/trailing
edges. If there are two or more blades in the blade set, the surface group names start with the blade name. For
example, if there are two blades named Main and Splitter, and the trailing edge of Main is cut-off, and
the leading and trailing edges of Splitter are cut-off, then surface groups Main BLADE TE, Splitter
BLADE LE and Splitter BLADE TE will be available after generating a mesh.
LOWPERIODIC, HIGHPERIODIC
INLET, OUTLET
LOW refers to low Theta value and HIGH refers to high Theta value.
A visibility check box next to each surface group allows you to control which are displayed.
Besides the visibility, you may also change the color and render properties for each surface group.
Surface Group: Definition Tab

You may view the Domains and Locations information on the Definition tab.
Surface Group: Color Tab

Surface Group: Render Tab

Contour Command
A contour plot is a series of lines linking points with equal values of a given variable. For example, contours of
height exist on geographical maps and give an impression of gradient and land shape. To create a contour, select
Insert > User Defined > Contour from the main menu.
Contour Plot: Definition Tab

Domains
Select the domain(s) in which the contour object will exist.
Locations
Select the locator(s) on which to plot the contours. To select multiple locators, click the
and select each locator.
icon, hold down Ctrl,

38
Contour Command
Variable
Choose the plot variable for the contour plot.
Range
Set Range to one of the available methods for defining the range of the contour plot. This affects the variation of
color used when plotting the contours in the Viewer. The lowest values of a variable in the selected range are shown
in blue in the viewer, the highest values are shown in red.
Global uses the range of the variable over all domains (regardless of the domains selected on the Geometry
tab) to determine the minimum and maximum values for the contours.
Local uses the range of the variable over the selected locator(s) to determine the minimum and maximum
values for the contours.
Using User Specified, enter the minimum and maximum values for the contours. Type in the variable values,
set them using the embedded slider or, by clicking Enter Expression
them as an expression.
to the right of the Units box, enter
Using Value List, a list separated by commas, specify the actual values at which contours should be plotted.
For example, if plotting minimum face angle, try a value list of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 degrees. It should be
noted that entering a value list overrides the number specified in the # of Contours box (see below).
Hybrid/Conservative
The option of using hybrid or conservative values is available. Unless you are post-processing CFD results using
ANSYS TurboGrid, this option can be ignored. For details, see Hybrid and Conservative Variable Values (p. 57).
Number of Contours
Set the # of Contours to appear in the plot. This is the number of bands plus one.
Contour Plot: Labels Tab

The Show Numbers check box determines whether numbers corresponding to the number of contours are displayed
on the plot. To view the values of the plotted variable at each contour, create a legend of the contour plot. See
Legend Command (p. 40) for more details. To change the size of the text that appears on the contour plot, type a
new value into the Text Height box or use the embedded slider (which has a maximum value of 1 and a minimum
value of 0). The text height number is a fraction of the viewer height. Text Font controls the font that appears on
the contour plot. To change the text color, click the
icon.
Contour Plot: Render Tab

Note
When the Draw Faces check box is selected, the area between contour lines is shaded with a color that
corresponds to a value midway between the upper and lower contour line value. For example, for a
contour line at 1000 Pa and a contour line at 1200 Pa, the shaded area has a color that corresponds to
1100 Pa. If you have created a legend for the contour plot, the legend adopts flat shading between 2
contour levels. By referring to the legend, the variable values can quickly be associated with the shaded
regions of the plot.
Note
To view the contour lines as a single color, select the Constant Coloring check box, and click

39
Instance Transform Command
Instance Transform Command

Due to rotational symmetry, only one blade passage needs to be meshed, reducing computing cost and time. Instance
transforms are used to replicate sections of the computational domain in the viewer window for viewing purposes.
For example, you may use a rotational transform to copy a blade passage to produce a plot of an entire rotor or
stator, or a fraction thereof. However, for most purposes, it is sufficient to make use of the special toolbar icons
dedicated to viewing 1, 2, or all instances (
,
, and
respectively). Instance transforms are more flexible
than these special toolbar icons in that they can be applied to single objects rather than to only all (qualified) objects
at the same time.
To create an instance transform, select Insert > User Defined > Instance Transform from the main menu.
Instance Transform: Definition Tab

Note
In this release of ANSYS TurboGrid, instancing is purely visual. This means that quantitative calculations
can only be carried out for the original geometry.
Number of Copies
The number of copies is the amount of times the domain is replicated in the viewer window. Type in the value,
increase or decrease the value by 1 by clicking or respectively, or use the embedded slider (which has a
maximum value of 1000 and a minimum value of 1).
To see the whole rotating machine, the number of copies must equal the number of blade sets, as defined in the
Machine Data object.
CCL Editing
If you edit an instance transform in the Command Editor dialog box, changes to settings, other than Number of
Copies, will be lost the next time the Apply button is clicked in the instance transform editor. This happens because
the instance transform editor overwrites all of the ccl parameters, except Number of Copies, with the values stored
in the default instance transform object.
Legend Command
A legend can be created for any object which plots a variable. The legend gives an approximate quantitative value
to the colors representing the variable on a locator. To create a legend, select Insert > User Defined > Legend from
the main menu.
Legend: Definition Tab

Plot
Set Plot to the object for which to create a legend.
Note
Any existing Object can be selected, but if there is not a variable for which to create a Legend, one is
not created.
Location
The exact position of the legend can be controlled using the Location box. Set the X or Y Justification to Left,
Center, Right, or None. If None is selected, type in the position values or use the embedded sliders (which
have a maximum value of 1 and a minimum value of 0). The position values represent a fraction of the viewer width
from the left side for X Position, or a fraction of the viewer height from the bottom for Y Position. The position
entered is the bottom-left corner of the legend.

40
Text Command
Legend: Appearance Tab

Sizing Parameters
The size of the legend can be set as a fraction of the viewer window height. Increasing the size increases both the
height and width of the legend. Type in the size value or use the embedded slider (which has a maximum value of
1 and a minimum value of 0).
The aspect of the legend controls the width of the color range bar displayed in the legend. Type in the aspect value
or use the embedded slider (which has a maximum value of 0.2 and a minimum value of 0).
Text Parameters
The precision controls the number of digits after the decimal displayed on the legend. Set Precision to a format of
either Scientific or Fixed.
Value Ticks determines the number of graduations (with labels) displayed on the legend. For example, for a scale
ranging from 0 to 10, setting 3 Ticks produces graduations at 0, 5 and 10. For a contour plot, each number assigned
to a contour line is displayed on the legend along with its associated variable value. The Value Ticks box is
unavailable for a contour plot.
Text Command
Text can be added to the viewer, for annotation or comments for example. To create text, select Insert > User
Defined > Text from the main menu.
Text: Definition Tab

Location
Set Position Mode to one of the available methods for defining the location of the text.
Using Two Coords, position the text at a fixed location in the Viewer. Set the X or Y Justification to Left,
Center, Right, or None. If None is selected, type in the position values or use the embedded sliders (which
have a maximum value of 1 and a minimum value of 0). The position values represent a fraction of the viewer
width from the left side for X Position, or a fraction of the viewer height from the bottom for Y Position. The
position entered is the bottom, left corner of the Text.
Using Three Coords, position the text using Cartesian coordinates attached to the geometry. The text rotates
and translates with the geometry, but always faces forward so it is readable in the Viewer. The X, Y, and Z
coordinates are required to set the text location. Type in the position values or use the embedded sliders. Type
in the rotation value, set it using the embedded slider (which has a maximum value of 360 and a minimum value
of 0) or, by clicking Enter Expression
to the right of the Rotation option and entering an expression. A
rotation angle of 0 positions the text horizontally; a positive angle is measured counter-clockwise from that
position.
Text: Appearance Tab

Text Properties
Type in the text height or use the embedded slider (which has a maximum value of 1 and a minimum value of 0).
To change the text color, click the
icon to the right of the Color option and select one of the available colors.
New Command
To create any new object, select Insert > User Defined > New from the main menu. The New object dialog box
is displayed.

41
New Command
Either accept the default name or type a new one for the object. The name should be different from any current
object of the same type to avoid overwriting the existing object. ANSYS TurboGrid does not allow the creation of
objects with the same name but different types.
Click OK or press Enter to open the relevant object editor. The object does not exist in the database until you click
Apply on the object editor.

42
Chapter 6. Display Menu

The following sections describe the commands available in the Display menu:
Display One Instance Command (p. 43)
Display Two Instances Command (p. 43)
Display All Instances Command (p. 43)
Hide/Unhide Geometry Objects Commands (p. 44)
Hide/Unhide Layers Commands (p. 44)
Hide/Unhide Mesh Objects Commands (p. 44)
Blade-to-Blade View Submenu (p. 44)
Introduction
The Display Menu options are also available from a toolbar located above the viewer.
Display One Instance Command

The default setting, Display One Instance, will show one passage of the geometry in the viewer. Since only one
instance must be solved, displaying only one instance will allow ANSYS TurboGrid to work more quickly as less
rendering is required.
For further information, see Instance Transform Command (p. 40).
Display Two Instances Command

When Display Two Instances is set, two passages of the geometry are shown in the viewer. This can give a better
idea of the full machine without having ANSYS TurboGrid slowed by rendering the full machine.
Note
When working with two instances displayed, it is important to know that topology changes, such as the
movement of master control points, can only be done on the original instance, and not the second one
displayed.
Display All Instances Command

When Display All Instances is set, the full machine is shown in the viewer. This setting shows the full geometry
and the mesh can be seen on the entire geometry. It is not recommended to work in this setting as the constant
rendering of the full machine will slow down processing speed.

43
Hide/Unhide Geometry Objects Commands
Hide/Unhide Geometry Objects Commands

Select Hide Geometry Objects to turn off the visibility of all geometry objects (i.e., hub, shroud, blade, etc.) and
give a clear view of the remaining objects. Select Unhide Geometry Objects to do the opposite.
Hide/Unhide Layers Commands

Select Hide Layers to turn off the visibility of all of the layers. This is much more efficient than turning off the
visibility for each individual layer in the object selector. Select Unhide Layers to do the opposite.
Hide/Unhide Mesh Objects Commands

Select Hide Mesh Objects to turn off the visibility of the 3D Mesh objects. This can be useful for viewing the
geometry after a mesh has been created. Select Unhide Mesh Objects to do the opposite.
Blade-to-Blade View Submenu

In the blade-to-blade view, some parts of the mesh might appear to be distorted, wavy, or overlapping1. You might
be able to reduce the amount of distortion by selecting an appropriate command in the Blade-to-Blade View
submenu. Each command affects the portion of the geometry on which the transform is based. The optimal choice
depends on the blade geometry.
The Blade-to-Blade View submenu commands are:
Use Default Transform

The Use Default Transform command chooses the transform method automatically by effectively choosing
either the Use Full Transform command or the Use Passage Transform command.
Use Full Transform

The Use Full Transform command causes the blade-to-blade coordinates to be calculated using the complete
hub and shroud curves.
Use Passage Transform

The Use Passage Transform command causes the blade-to-blade coordinates to be calculated using the portion
of the hub and shroud curves that fall within the passage mesh, truncated at the inlet and outlet (i.e., excluding
the portions of the hub and shroud curves that lie within the inlet and outlet mesh blocks).
Use Passage Excluding Tip Transform

The Use Passage Excluding Tip Transform command is similar to the Use Passage Transform command,
except that the tip regions are excluded in the spanwise direction. For example, if a blade has no hub tip and a
profile-based shroud tip, the blade-to-blade coordinates are calculated using the portion of the hub curve that
falls within the passage and the profile curve at the shroud tip. This transform may be the best choice if the
hub/shroud tip is defined by a profile that varies significantly from a constant span when viewed in the other
transforms.
The Passage and Passage Excluding Tip transforms:
usually exhibit less distortion than the Full transform,
are available only after the topology has been created,
cause geometry objects to be omitted from the blade-to-blade view (even if these transforms are used indirectly
via the default transform).
By contrast, the Cartesian view does not typically exhibit distortion, except at extremely high zoom levels.

44
Chapter 7. Viewer
Viewer Toolbar (p. 45)
Viewer Hotkeys (p. 47)
Multiple Viewports (p. 48)
Selecting and Dragging Objects while in Viewing Mode (p. 49)
Introduction
The viewer in ANSYS TurboGrid plays a central role in the mesh creation process. Its interactive interface, including
the mouse, toolbars and hotkeys, allows you to inspect and alter your work.
The viewer toolbar and hotkeys are described in this chapter. Mouse controls are described in Viewer Setup: Mouse
Mapping (p. 25).
Note
In order to see correct colors and accurately displayed objects in the 3D Viewer, some combinations of
ATI video cards and ATI graphics drivers on Windows XP require that you set the environment variable
VIEWER_CACHE_COLORS to 0:
1.
Right-click on My Computer and select Properties. The System Properties dialog appears.
2.
Click the Advanced tab.
3.
Click Environment Variables.
4.
Under System variables, click New.
5.
In the Variable name field, type: VIEWER_CACHE_COLORS
6.
In the Variable value field, type the number: 0
7.
Click OK.
8.
To verify the setting, open a command window and enter: set

The results should include the line:
VIEWER_CACHE_COLORS=0
This setting will fix problems such as:
Boundary condition markers placed incorrectly or rendered in white.
Regions around the circles are incorrect (rendered as yellow areas marked with blue)
Mesh lines not displayed properly and with dark patches showing.
Note
Depending on the graphics card and driver version, you may experience problems with the accuracy of
mouse clicks in the 3D Viewer. For example, you may try to insert a control point at a given location
by using the mouse, but the control point appears at a location far from where you clicked the mouse.
If you experience such problems, try lowering the hardware acceleration setting of your graphics card.
Viewer Toolbar
The viewer has the following tools:

45
Viewer Toolbar
Tool
Description
Enters picking mode. To choose the behavior of this mode, use the
drop-down arrow on the adjacent toolbar icon (which becomes visible
only after you click Select
):
This is the Single Select option for the Select

tool. You can use it
to select objects or drag certain objects to new locations, using the mouse.
When a number of objects overlap, the one closest to the camera is
picked. The text at the bottom of the viewer window shows which object
would be picked at the mouse's current location. If you cannot pick the
object you want because other objects overlap it, turn off the visibility
of the overlapping objects, or adjust the camera to make it possible to
pick the object.
tool. You can use it to
This is the Box Select option for the Select
select objects using a box. Drag a box around the object(s) you want to
select.
This is the Polygon Select option for the Select
tool. You can use
it to select objects using an enclosed polygon. Click to drop points around
the object(s). Double-click to complete the selection.
Rotates the view by dragging the mouse.
Pans the view by dragging the mouse.
Adjusts the zoom level by dragging the mouse vertically.
Zooms to the area enclosed in a box that you create by dragging with
the mouse.
Centers all visible objects in the viewer.
Toggles highlighting. Highlighting makes it easier to select the correct
object from the viewer. While in picking mode, highlighting puts a red
box around the object which would be selected at the mouse's current
location.

46
Viewer Hotkeys
Tool
Description
Selects the viewport arrangement; by default, each view displays a
different transform. Independent zoom, rotation, and translate options
can be carried out in each viewport.
Displays the Viewer Key Mapping window.
Viewer Hotkeys
A number of hotkeys are available to carry out common viewer tasks. Before using a viewer hotkey, place the mouse
focus on the viewer window.
Key
Action
Space
Toggle between picking and viewing mode
Up
Rotate about horizontal and vertical axes
or
Down
or
Left
or
Right
Ctrl+Up
Rotate about an axis normal to the screen
or
Ctrl+Down
Shift+Up
Move light
or
Shift+Down
or
Shift+Left
or
Shift+Right
Ctrl+Shift
When in viewing mode, you can hold Ctrl+Shift to select objects in the
viewer. Releasing Ctrl+Shift returns you to viewing mode.
One viewport
Two viewports
Three viewports
Four viewports
Center the graphic object in the viewer window

47
Multiple Viewports
Key
Action
Toggle projection between orthographic and perspective
Reset view to initial orientation
Undo transformation
Redo transformation
Set view down +X axis
Set view down -X axis
Set view down +Y axis
Set view down -Y axis
Set view down +Z axis
Set view down -Z axis
Multiple Viewports
Initially the viewer contains one single viewport. The viewer can be divided into more than one window or multiple
viewports, ranging from one to four.
By default, the viewer shows the current objects in a 3D Cartesian view.
The currently active viewport layout is shown in the box to the right of the Highlighting
icon on the viewer
to the right of the current viewport layout picture to select a new viewport layout from the
toolbar. Click
drop-down list on the viewer toolbar.
Change the active viewport by placing the mouse pointer over a viewport and clicking with any of the three mouse
buttons. The viewport that contains the mouse pointer is then set as the active viewport.
Mouse-controlled transformations are applied automatically to the viewport which contains the mouse pointer.
When the transformation is complete the viewport also becomes the active viewport.
Hardcopy plots (postscript or other image file formats) always show all visible viewports in the viewer (a verbatim
copy of the viewer window).
If the viewer consists of four viewports, each with object(s), and the viewport layout is changed to have less than
four viewports, the graphic in the now hidden viewports remains intact, but not visible. When the viewport layout
returns to the former layout all graphic objects are present, unchanged.
Each viewport has a default coordinate system.
Viewport 1: Cartesian
Viewport 2: 2D Blade-to-blade
Viewport 3: 2D Meridional
Viewport 4: 3D Turbo
48
Selecting, Adding, and Deleting Views

You can change the coordinate system for each viewport by right-clicking on a blank area in the viewer, and selecting
one of the Transformation commands.
Note
If a viewport initially appears to be empty when it is used for the first time, try clicking Fit View
This will center the objects and reset the zoom level.
Selecting, Adding, and Deleting Views

Each viewport can use any of the 4 pre-defined views or user-defined views. To switch between views, use the
drop-down menu in the upper-left corner of the viewport. To add a new view based on the current state of the viewer,
right-click in the viewer and select Create New View from the shortcut menu. To delete an existing user-defined
view, right-click in the viewer and select Delete View while the view is selected.
Selecting and Dragging Objects while in Viewing

Mode
Picking mode allows you to select and move objects, such as points, curves, and planes.
To enter picking mode, click Select
or Pan
. To leave picking mode (i.e., switch back to viewing mode), click Rotate
To temporarily enter picking mode when you are in viewing mode, hold Ctrl+Shift. When you release the Ctrl+Shift
keys, you will return to viewing mode.
When you click Select
method:
to enter picking mode, a toolbar icon appears to enable you to change the selection
For details, see Viewer Toolbar (p. 45).

49

Chapter 8. Tools Menu

The following sections describe the commands available in the Tools menu:
Calculator Command (p. 51)
Expressions Command (p. 54)
Variables Command (p. 56)
Command Editor Command (p. 58)
Calculator Command
The built-in calculator provides quantitative information about the geometry and mesh. To view the calculator,
select Tools > Calculator from the main menu. The Function Calculator dialog box is displayed.
Note
In this release of ANSYS TurboGrid, quantitative calculations can only be carried out for the original
geometry. Any applied instance transforms are purely visual and do not affect the calculation results.
Function Calculator Dialog Box

Function
Click
to select a function from the drop-down list. The table below outlines the available quantitative functions.
Function Name
Operation
area (p. 51)
Area of location
areaAve (p. 52)
Area-weighted average
areaInt (p. 52)
Area-weighted integral (can be projected to a direction)
ave (p. 52)
Arithmetic average
count (p. 52)
Number of calculation points
length (p. 53)
Length of a curve
lengthAve (p. 53)
Length-weighted average
lengthInt (p. 53)
Length-weighted integration
maxVal (p. 53)
Maximum Value
minVal (p. 53)
Minimum Value
probe (p. 53)
Value at a point
sum (p. 53)
Sum over the calculation points
volume (p. 53)
Volume of a 3-D location
volumeAve (p. 54)
Volume-weighted average
volumeInt (p. 54)
Volume-weighted integral
area
The area function is used to calculate the area of a 2-D location. The following example demonstrates use of the
function.
51
Function: area, Location: Plane1. This example calculates the total area of the locator Plane1.
areaAve
The areaAve function calculates the area-weighted average of an expression on a 2-D location. The area-weighted
average of a variable is the average value of the variable on a location when the mesh element sizes are taken into
account. Without the area weighting function, the average of all the nodal variable values would be biased towards
variable values in regions of high mesh density. The following examples demonstrate use of the Function.
Function: areaAve, Location: Outlet, Variable: Velocity. This example calculates the average magnitude
of the velocity on the outlet location. Note that flow direction is not considered since the magnitude of a
vector quantity at each node is calculated. Use the scalar components of velocity (e.g., Velocity u) to include
a directional sign, for example:
Function: areaAve, Location: Outlet, Variable: max(Velocity u, 0.0[m s^-1]). This example
calculates the area-weighted average value of Velocity u, with negative values of the variable replaced by
zero. Note that this is not the average positive value since zero values contribute to the average.
areaInt
The areaInt function integrates a variable over the specified 2-D location. To perform the integration over the
total face area, the None option should be selected from the Direction drop-down list. If a direction is selected, the
result is an integration over the projected area of each face onto a plane normal to that direction. Each point on a
location has an associated area which is stored as a vector and therefore has direction. By selecting a direction in
the calculator you are using only a single component of the vector in the area-weighting function. Since these
components can be positive or negative, depending on the direction of the normal on the location, it is possible for
areas to cancel out. An example of this would be on a closed surface where the projected area is always zero (the
results returned are not in general zero since the variable values differ over the closed surface). On a flat surface
the normal vectors always point in the same direction and never cancel out. The following examples demonstrate
use of the function.
Function: areaInt, Location: Plane1, Variable: Pressure, Direction: None This example integrates
pressure over Plane1. The result returned is the total pressure force acting on Plane1. The magnitude of each
area vector is used and so the direction of the vectors is not considered.
Function: areaInt, Location: Plane1, Variable: Pressure, Direction: Global X. This example
integrates pressure over the projected area of Plane1 onto a plane normal to the X-axis. The result is the pressure
force acting in the X-direction on Plane1. This differs slightly from using the force function to calculate the
X-directional force on Plane1 the force function includes forces due to the advection of momentum when
calculating the force on an internal arbitrary plane or a non-wall boundary (inlets etc.).
ave
The ave function calculates the arithmetic average (the mean value) of a variable or expression on the specified
location. This is the sum of the values at each node on the location divided by the number of nodes. Results are
biased towards areas of high nodal density on the location. To obtain a mesh-independent result, use the lengthAve,
areaAve, volumeAve or massFlowAve functions. The following example demonstrates use of the function.
The average of a vector value is calculated as an average of its magnitudes, not the magnitude of component averages.
As an example, for velocity, v ave =
where v i =
v1 + v 2
2
( vx2i + v 2y i + vz2i )
Function: ave, Location: MainDomain, Variable: Temperature. This example calculates the mean
temperature at all nodes in the selected domain.
count
The count function returns the number of nodes on the specified location. The following example demonstrates
use of the function.
Function: count, Location: MainDomain. This example returns the number of nodes in the specified domain.

52
length
Computes the length of the specified line as the sum of the distances between the points making up the line. The
following example demonstrates use of the function.
Function: length, Location: Polyline1. Calculates the length of the Polyline.
lengthAve
Computes the length-based average of the variable on the specified line. This is the 1-D equivalent of the areaAve
function. The result is independent of the nodal distribution along the line since a weighting function assigns a
higher weighting to areas of sparse nodal density. The following example demonstrates use of the function.
Function: lengthAve, Location: Polyline1, Variable: Velocity. This calculates the average velocity
on the location Polyline1 using a length-based weighting function to account for the distribution of points along
the line.
lengthInt
Computes the length-based integral of the variable on the specified line. This is the 1-D equivalent of the areaInt
function. The following example demonstrates use of the function.
maxVal
Returns the maximum value of the specified variable on the specified locator. Create a user variable if you want to
find the maximum value of an expression. The following example demonstrates use of the function.
Function: maxVal, Location: Default, Variable: Yplus. This returns the maximum Yplus value on the
Default wall boundaries.
minVal
Returns the minimum value of the specified variable on the specified locator. Create a user variable if you want to
find the minimum value of an expression. The following example demonstrates use of the function.
Function: minVal, Location: MainDomain, Variable: Temperature. These settings return the minimum
temperature in the domain.
probe
Returns the value of the specified variable on the specified point object. The following example demonstrates use
of the function.
Function: probe, Location: Point1, Variable: Density. Returns the density value at Point1.
Important
This calculation should only be performed for point locators described by single points. Incorrect
solutions are produced for multiple point locators.
sum
Computes the sum of the specified variable values at each point on the specified location. The following example
demonstrates use of the function.
Function: sum, Location: SubDomain1, Variable: Volume of Finite Volume. Returns the sum of
the finite volumes assigned to each node in the location SubDomain1. In this case this sums to the volume of
the subdomain.
volume
The volume function is used to calculate the volume of a 3-D location. The following example demonstrates use
of the function.
Function: volume, Location: Volume1. Returns the sum of the volumes of each mesh element included in
the location Volume1.

53
Expressions Command
volumeAve
The volumeAve function calculates the volume-weighted average of an expression on a 3-D location. This is the
3-D equivalent of the areaAve function. The volume-weighted average of a variable is the average value of the
variable on a location weighted by the volume assigned to each point on a location. Without the volume weighting
function, the average of all the nodal variable values would be biased towards values in regions of high mesh density.
The following example demonstrates use of the function.
Function: volumeAve, Location: Volume1, Variable: Density. This example calculates the
volume-weighted average value of density in the region enclosed by the location Volume1.
volumeInt
The volumeInt function integrates the specified variable over the volume location. This is the 3-D equivalent of
the areaInt function. The following example demonstrates use of the function.
Function: volumeInt, Location: Volume1, Variable: Density. This calculates the integral of density
(the total mass) in Volume1.
Location
Click
to select a location from the drop-down list. Only locations valid for the selected function are available.
Variable
Click
to select a variable from the drop-down list. Only variables valid for the selected function are available.
For most functions, click in the Variable box and enter an expression to use as the variable. The expression can
include other variables and any valid CEL (ANSYS CFX Expression Language) function (see CEL Functions,
Constants and System Variables (p. 14) in the ANSYS TurboGrid Reference Guide). For example, abs(Velocity
u) could be entered so that the calculation is performed using the absolute values of the variable Velocity u.
Direction
The areaInt function requires a direction to be specified before the calculation can be performed. The areaInt
function projects the location onto a plane normal to the specified direction (if the direction is not set to None), and
then performs the calculation on the projected location (direction specification can also be None). The direction of
the normal vectors for the location is important and cancels out for surfaces such as closed surfaces.
Hybrid and Conservative Variables

In ANSYS TurboGrid there is no difference between hybrid and conservative variables. Leave all controls for
selecting between them at their default values.
Expressions Command
The expression editor is used to create new expressions and modify existing expressions in ANSYS TurboGrid.
ANSYS TurboGrid uses the created expressions to define object properties, new variables or they can be used in
place of any numeric value used in ANSYS TurboGrid (as long as the correct units are returned by the expression).
To create or edit an expression, select Tools > Expressions from the main menu. The Expression Editor dialog
box is displayed.
Expression Editor Dialog Box

All icons become active when you select an expression from the Expression list. Alternatively, you can right-click
on an existing expression in the list to see the same options. Each icon and its function is described in the following
table.
Icon
Description
New opens the New Expression dialog box where you can enter a name.
54
Expression Editor Dialog Box

Icon
Description
Edit displays the selected Expression in the Definition box where you can edit it.
Copy makes a duplicate of the selected expression and opens the New Expression dialog
box where you can enter a name for the copy.
Delete removes the selected expression from the list.
Evaluate determines the value of the selected expression if it does not contain variables.
The result is shown in the Value box.
When you click New
to create a new expression, the New Expression dialog box is displayed.
Name
There are a few guidelines to follow when selecting an expression name.
You cannot create an expression with the same name as an object.
You cannot create an expression with the same name as a variable.
Within the ANSYS CFX Expression Language some variables are known by short names to save typing in the
full variable name. For example, p refers to Pressure. Although it is possible to create an expression with
the same name as an abbreviated variable, it is ignored. For example, if you use an expression with the name p
to define a variable, that variable will return the value Pressure in all cases, regardless of your definition of
the expression.
Definition
Enter the definition of a new expression or edit the definition of an existing expression. A list of valid CEL expressions
and constants can be found in ANSYS CFX Expression Language (p. 13) in the ANSYS TurboGrid Reference
Guide.
Value
The expression editor can also be used as a calculator to evaluate expressions without variables. For example, 2+1.
After the expression is created, select it from the expression list and click the Evaluate
expression. The result is displayed in the Value box.
icon to evaluate the
Expression Editor Example

In this example, an expression is created to define the distance of a point in the Y-Z plane from the X-axis.
1.
Select Tools > Expressions from the main menu to open the expression editor.
2.
Click the New

icon to create a new expression. When the New Expression dialog box appears enter the
name radial and click OK.
3.
In the Definition box enter the expression sqrt(Y^2+Z^2).
4.
Click Apply to create the expression.
This expression is used in the next example; see Variable Editor Example (p. 57).
Note
You cannot use a user variable to define an expression.

55
Variables Command
Further Expressions
After completing the variable editor example, try modifying this expression. Try sqrt(X^2+Z^2) to define a
distance from the Y-axis or sqrt(X^2+Y^2+Z^2) to define a sphere. Try moving the location of the sphere by
adding values to the X, Y or Z components. For example sqrt(X^2+Y^2+(Z-0.5[m])^2) moves the sphere
a distance of 0.5 m in the positive Z direction.
Note
Always provide units inside square brackets for constant values entered into an expression.
Variables Command
The variable editor is used to create new user variables and modify existing variables in ANSYS TurboGrid.
To create or edit a variable, select Tools > Variables from the main menu. The Variable Editor dialog box is
displayed.
Variable Editor Dialog Box

All icons become active when you select a variable from the Variable list. Alternatively, you can right-click on an
existing variable in the list to see the same options. Each icon and its function is described in the following table.
Icon
Description
New opens the New Variable dialog box where you can enter a name.
Edit displays the selected Variable in the Expression and/or Units box where
you can edit it.
Copy makes a duplicate of the selected variable and opens the New Variable
dialog box where you can enter a name for the copy.
Delete removes the selected variable from the list.
Use Hybrid Values sets all variables to hybrid values.
Use Conservative Values sets all variables to conservative values.
When you click New
to create a new variable, the New Variable dialog box is displayed.
Name
There are a few guidelines to follow when selecting a variable name.
You cannot create a variable with the same name as an object.

56
Variable Editor Dialog Box
You cannot create a variable with the same name as an expression. For example, if you have an expression
named Radius, you must choose a different variable name for that expression.
Within the ANSYS CFX Expression Language some variables are known by short names to save typing in the
full variable name. For example, p refers to Pressure. Although it is possible to create a variable with the
same name as an abbreviated variable, it is ignored. For example, if you use a variable with the name p in an
expression, it returns the value Pressure in all cases, no matter what the definition of the variable is.
Type
Click Edit
to edit both the fundamental and user variables. Select the expression used to define the variable
from a list of existing expressions for user variables. The expressions available from this list are those which you
have created in the expression editor. For details, see Expressions Command (p. 54).
For fundamental variables, the units are changeable. Click
next to the Units box to see the available units for
the selected variable. This means, for example, that you could create a legend which uses alternative angle units
(such as degrees or radians) by clicking on the
icon and selecting new units.
Note
These settings override the global units setting, defined in the Edit Menu. For details, see Options
Command (p. 23).
The variable type used affects all quantitative calculations and plots in ANSYS TurboGrid.
Hybrid and Conservative Variable Values

This is useful only for advanced post-processing and is not relevant for ANSYS TurboGrid. It is included to maintain
consistency with other ANSYS CFX products. Please refer to the CFD-Post documentation for more information
on the differences between hybrid and conservative variable values.
Variable Editor Example

In this example, an Isosurface which has a fixed radial distance from an axis or point is created using the expression
defined in the previous example. For details, see Expression Editor Example (p. 55).
1.
Select Tools > Variables from the main menu to open the variable editor.
2.
Click New
to create a new variable. When the New Variable dialog box appears enter the name Radial
Distance and click OK.
3.
In the variable editor, use the Expression drop-down list to select the expression radial which you created
earlier. Click Apply to create the new variable.
This variable now appears in the list of available variables and can be used like any other variable. Notice that the
variable type is listed as User.
You can now create an isosurface using this variable. For details, see Isosurface Command (p. 35).
1.
Select Insert > User Defined > Isosurface from the main menu, enter a name, then click OK on the
New Isosurface dialog box.
2.
In the Geometry tab for the isosurface set Variable to Radial Distance.
3.
Set Value to 20 m. This is a suitable value for the Rotor 37 geometry used in Tutorial 1. You may need to alter
this value to something more sensible depending on the geometry you are viewing.
4.
Click the Color tab and set Mode to Variable.
5.
Select a sensible variable (e.g., Maximum Face Angle or Axial Distance) with which to color the
isosurface.
6.
Set Range to Local so that the full color range is used on the isosurface.
7.
Click Apply to create the isosurface object.

57
Command Editor Command

You should now see the isosurface in the viewer. All points on the isosurface are a distance of 20 m (or whatever
value you used in the Value box) from the X-axis. Some other expressions to try are given in Further
Expressions (p. 56).
Command Editor Command

The Command Editor dialog box can be used to create or modify any of the objects in ANSYS TurboGrid using
the CFX Command Language. For further details, see CFX Command Language (p. 9) in the ANSYS TurboGrid
Reference Guide.
Power Syntax can be entered and processed in the Command Editor dialog box. For details, see Power Syntax (p.
31) in the ANSYS TurboGrid Reference Guide. Power Syntax commands should be proceeded by the ! symbol.
In addition, any valid CCL command can be typed and processed in the Command Editor dialog box. For details,
see Command Actions (p. 17) in the ANSYS TurboGrid Reference Guide. Action Commands should be preceded
by the > symbol.
To create an object using CCL, select Tools > Command Editor from the main menu. The Command Editor
dialog box is displayed.
To edit an existing object using CCL, right-click the object in the object selector and select Edit in Command
Editor from the shortcut menu. The CCL definition of that object is automatically displayed and can be edited to
alter the object properties.
You can access the following basic editing tools by right-clicking in the Command Editor dialog box:
Undo
Undoes the last edit action.
Redo
Redoes the most recently undone edit action.
Cut
Cuts the selected text and places it on a clipboard.
Copy
Places the selected text on a clipboard.
Paste
Pastes the clipboard text at the insertion point, or replaces the selection.
Clear
Clears all of the contents of the Command Editor dialog box.
Select All
Selects all of the contents of the Command Editor dialog box.
Find
Makes a search tool appear at the bottom of the Command Editor dialog box. Enter a search term and click
either Next or Previous to search upwards or downwards from the insertion point or text selection. To hide the
search tool, press <Esc>.

58
Chapter 9. Help Menu

The following sections describe the commands available in the Help menu:
On ANSYS TurboGrid Command (p. 59)
Master Contents Command (p. 59)
Master Index Command (p. 59)
Tutorials Command (p. 59)
Search Command (p. 59)
Installation and Licensing Command (p. 59)
About ANSYS TurboGrid Command (p. 59)
About ICEM CFD Command (p. 59)
About Qt Command (p. 60)
Help on Help Command (p. 60)
On ANSYS TurboGrid Command

Click Help > On ANSYS TurboGrid to view the introductory documentation. This includes the new features for
ANSYS TurboGrid.
Master Contents Command

The Master Contents command shows a table of contents for all of the online ANSYS TurboGrid documentation.
Master Index Command

The Master Index command shows how to access the index for the ANSYS TurboGrid documentation.
Tutorials Command
The Tutorials command provides access to the ANSYS TurboGrid tutorials.
Search Command
The Search command shows how to access the search feature for the ANSYS TurboGrid online documentation.
Installation and Licensing Command

Opens the installation and licensing documentation.
About ANSYS TurboGrid Command

The About ANSYS TurboGrid command describes the purpose of ANSYS TurboGrid, shows the version number,
and provides an internet address.
About ICEM CFD Command

The About ICEM CFD command describes ICEM CFD, shows the version number, and provides an internet
address.

59
About Qt Command
About Qt Command
The About Qt command describes the purpose, shows the version number, and provides an internet address.
Help on Help Command

The Help on Help command provides additional information about ANSYS TurboGrid help and how to access it.

60
Chapter 10. ANSYS TurboGrid Workflow
Steps to Create a Mesh (p. 61)
Geometry (p. 62)
Topology (p. 76)
Mesh Data (p. 87)
Layers (p. 92)
3D Mesh (p. 102)
Mesh Analysis (p. 102)
User Defined Objects (p. 104)
Default Instance Transform (p. 104)
Shortcut Menu Commands (p. 105)
Introduction
This chapter explains the steps required to create a mesh. A brief overview is given in the next section. The remaining
sections of this chapter cover each major step in detail.
Steps to Create a Mesh

To create a mesh:
1.
Define the geometry.

For details, see Geometry (p. 62).
2.
Define the topology object(s) by selecting a method and optionally changing other settings.
For details, see Topology (p. 76).
3.
Optionally modify the Mesh Data object to adjust the number of nodes.
If you plan to make a fine (high-resolution) mesh, you can optionally set the mesh density at a later time in
order to minimize processing time while establishing the topology. Keep in mind that changing the mesh
density can affect the mesh quality.
For details, see Mesh Data (p. 87).
4.
Optionally modify the layer objects to improve mesh quality.

For details, see Layers (p. 92).
5.
Generate the 3D mesh using the Insert > Mesh menu item, the Create Mesh
Generate button in the 3D Mesh object.
icon, or by clicking the
For details, see 3D Mesh (p. 102).

6.
Optionally investigate the mesh and refine any of the above objects as necessary.
To help identify problem areas of the mesh, mesh analysis tools are available. For details, see Mesh
Analysis (p. 102).
If you change any objects that affect the mesh, you must generate the mesh again.
7.
Save the mesh to a file.

For details, see Save Mesh Command (p. 17).
In general, you should proceed from top to bottom in the object selector, or from left to right on the toolbar.

61
Geometry
Figure 10.1. Object Selector
Figure 10.2. Part of Toolbar
The other objects in the object selector are used for visualization and inspection purposes.
Not every object in the object selector needs to be defined before a mesh can be created. However, every object
represented by an icon on the toolbar must be defined.
Geometry
To define the geometry, you can do any of the following:
In ANSYS Workbench, attach a Geometry or Blade Design cell upstream of the Turbo Mesh cell.
Note that, in this case, some of the geometry objects (such as Machine Data, Hub, Shroud, Blade Set, and Blade)
have their settings taken from the upstream cell, and changes to these settings cannot be made in ANSYS
TurboGrid. Other settings in geometry objects are taken from the upstream cell by default, but can be overridden.
To override a particular setting, select the check box for the frame surrounding the setting (in the object editor).
For example, although the machine rotation axis is, by default, taken from the upstream cell, you can change
the rotation axis by selecting the Rotation check box in the Machine Data object editor.
Load a BladeGen inf file by selecting File > Load BladeGen or clicking Load BladeGen

62
The Machine Data Object

This is recommended if a BladeGen.inf file exists. For details, see BladeGen.inf File (p. 10).
Specify multiple geometry objects at once by selecting File > Load Curves or clicking Load Curves
This information includes machine data, the names of geometry definition files, choice of coordinate system
and leading/trailing edge settings. For details, see Curve File (p. 10).
Load a cfg file by selecting File > Load CFG.

For details, see TurboGrid 1.6 cfg File (p. 10).
Define the Machine Data object, then load each of the remaining geometry objects separately.
The geometry objects are outlined below with a summary of the function performed by each.
The Machine Data Object (p. 63)
This object defines the geometry and rotation

properties of the rotating machine. For details, see The
Machine Data Object (p. 63).
The Hub and Shroud

Objects (p. 65)
These objects define the hub of the rotating machine.

For details, see The Hub and Shroud Objects (p. 65).
The Blade Set Object and Blade

Objects (p. 66)
These objects define the blade(s) of the rotating

machine. For details, see The Blade Set Object and
Blade Objects (p. 66).
The Hub Tip and Shroud Tip

Objects (p. 73)
These objects define the hub tip and shroud tip of the
blade(s). For details, see The Hub Tip and Shroud Tip
Objects (p. 73).
The Low Periodic and High

Periodic Objects (p. 74)
These objects control the methods for creating the low

and high periodic surfaces. For details, see The Low
Periodic and High Periodic Objects (p. 74).
The Inlet and Outlet Objects (p. 74) These objects define the locations and profiles of the
inlet and outlet domains of the mesh. For details, see
The Inlet and Outlet Objects (p. 74).
The Outline Object (p. 76)
This object controls the display of the outline of the

geometry. For details, see The Outline Object (p. 76).
After you have finished creating the geometry, you may wish to hide some or all of it to allow you to see the topology
clearly. You can control the visibility of a geometry object by toggling the check box next to the object in the object
selector. You can also right-click an object and use shortcut menu commands. The toolbar allows you to hide and
unhide all geometry objects via the Hide all geometry objects
and Unhide_geometry_objects
icons.

The Machine Data object contains geometric data that applies to the entire turbo machine (e.g., the location of
the rotation axis). Defining the machine data is an essential step in creating a mesh in ANSYS TurboGrid, and can
be accomplished by one of the following methods:
Editing the Machine Data object.
In ANSYS Workbench, attaching a Geometry or Blade Design cell upstream of the Turbo Mesh cell.
Note that, in this case:
The Pitch Angle setting is taken from the upstream cell, and cannot be changed in ANSYS TurboGrid.
The Rotation settings are taken from the upstream cell by default, but can be overridden by selecting the
Rotation check box.
The Base Units setting can be changed and is not affected by changes to the upstream cell.

63
Loading a BladeGen .inf file by selecting File > Load BladeGen or clicking Load BladeGen INF file
You can define machine data, hub, shroud, and blade objects by loading a BladeGen .inf file. For details, see
Load BladeGen Command (p. 10).
Loading curve files by selecting File > Load Curves or clicking Load Curves
You can define the machine data, hub, shroud, and blade objects by loading curve files. For details, see Load
Curves Command (p. 11).
Loading a cfg file by selecting File > Load CFG.

For details, see TurboGrid 1.6 cfg File (p. 10).
To edit the machine data, open the Machine Data object from the object selector or click Edit Machine Data
.
Data Tab
Pitch Angle
A rotating machine component is made up of blade sets that are identical, adjacent to each other, and equally spaced
around the entire circumference. In the context of ANSYS TurboGrid, the pitch angle is the Theta extent of one
blade set. To calculate the pitch angle based on the number of blade sets per 360, set Method to Bladeset
Count; the pitch angle is then calculated as 360 divided by the number of blade sets. If you need to specify the
pitch angle directly (as in the Deformed Turbine tutorial), set Method to Specified Angle.
ANSYS TurboGrid creates a mesh for one blade set only. The mesh can be copied and rotated using an ANSYS
CFX Pre-processor, if necessary, before it is solved in an ANSYS CFX Solver.
Rotation
The Method for defining the rotation axis can be set to one of the following:
Principal Axis - select the X, Y, Z, -X, -Y, or -Z axis.
Rotation Axis - define a custom axis by entering the Cartesian coordinates of 2 points on the axis. The coordinates
of the points can be typed in or selected using the
icon in the object editor.
Units
It is necessary to specify base units because the geometry kernel has an optimal range for storing numbers between
1 and 500. If, for example, the geometry data is given in mm, but the machine is on the order of 10 m in size, the
numbers stored in mm would be outside of the optimal range. In this case, the base units should be cm (default), to
reflect the scale of the machine.
The base units specified in the Machine Data object are used only to adjust the range of numbers to suit the
geometry kernel; they are not used to interpret geometric data contained in files (e.g., the hub curve file), nor are
they used to specify the units of an exported mesh.
Rotation Axis Visibility

By turning on the visibility of the Machine Data object, the rotation axis becomes visible in the viewer, along
with a sample radial direction vector. An example is shown in Figure 10.3, Rotation Axis (p. 65).

64
The Hub and Shroud Objects
Figure 10.3. Rotation Axis
The visibility of the Machine Data object is off by default. For details on setting visibility, see Visibility Check
Box (p. 3).
The Hub and Shroud Objects

The hub is the surface of the machine closest to the axis of rotation. It defines the inner fluid flow surface. To define
the machine component's hub, edit the Hub object from the selector or click Edit Hub
The shroud is the surface of the machine farthest from the axis of rotation. It defines the outer fluid flow surface.
To define the machine component's shroud, edit the Shroud object from the selector or click Edit Shroud
The hub and shroud can be defined only after the machine data has been defined, although all of these objects can
be defined in one step. For details, see Steps to Create a Mesh (p. 61).
Data Hub and Data Shroud Tabs

Coordinate System and Hub File Definition
Set Coordinates, Angle Units, and Length Units according to the data in the hub/shroud file. The hub/shroud file
must contain data points which define the hub/shroud curve. To specify a hub/shroud file, set File Name using a
path relative to the working directory. You can click the Browse
icon to select a curve file using a browser.
The hub/shroud curve runs upstream to downstream and must extend upstream of the blade leading edge and
downstream of the blade trailing edge. The points must be listed in the file line by line, in free-format ASCII style,
in order from upstream to downstream.
For example:
-1.0 0.0 1.0

2.0 0.0 1.0
No names or labels may be present in the file.
Note
If the hub/shroud file was used in earlier versions of CFX-TurboGrid, you can use the file again in this
release without any modifications. However, any data in the fourth field formerly used for parametric
values is now ignored.
The Curve Type setting has the following options for defining the type of hub/shroud curve.
Bspline, the default, means that a smooth curve is interpolated using the points listed in the hub/shroud file.
This method may be necessary if the hub/shroud curve is defined with a small number of points.

65
The Blade Set Object and Blade Objects
Piece-Wise Linear means that the points listed in the hub/shroud file are connected to one another with
straight lines.
Curve or Surface Visibility

By default, the hub/shroud surface is visible while the hub/shroud curve is not visible. To see the curve, the following
steps could be taken in the Data Hub tab:
1.
Select the Curve or Surface Visibility > Show Curve check box.
2.
Clear the Curve or Surface Visibility > Show Surface check box.
3.
Click Apply.
4.
Right-click the Hub/Shroud object and select Render (Properties) > Edit Options.
5.
On the Render tab, select the Draw Lines check box.
6.
Click OK.
Reread Button
If the file that defines the hub/shroud has been modified since it was last loaded, clicking the Reread button will
cause the hub/shroud data to be reloaded. The Blade Set object and individual blade objects also have this
feature.
Transform Tab
This tab contains specifications for rotational and translational transforms that adjust the geometry. The settings on
this tab adjust the hub/shroud geometry only. The Blade Set object and individual blade objects can also have
their coordinates transformed using the corresponding tabs of those objects.
General Rotation
Specify an axis via two points and a rotation angle about the axis.
Translation
Specify the direction and distance to translate the geometry. The direction may be any one of: Machine Axis,
X Axis, Y Axis, Z Axis, or Vector (any specified direction).
Axial Rotation
Specify the angle to revolve the geometry about the machine axis.

To define the machine component's blades as a set, edit the Blade Set object from the object selector or click
Edit Blade Set
. To define or modify a single blade, edit the corresponding object stored under the Blade Set
object. You can only define the blade set or individual blades after the hub and shroud have been defined, although
all of these can be defined in one step. For details, see Steps to Create a Mesh (p. 61).
The count and naming of the individual geometry (and topology, and mesh data) objects for each blade in the blade
set are managed automatically by ANSYS TurboGrid. If a profile file containing multiple blades is specified for
the Blade Set object (whether directly or indirectly, e.g., by loading a BladeGen .inf file or .cfg file), then
a blade object will be created for each set of data in the file and named according to the name specified in the file
(unless a name is not specified, in which case a generic name of the form "Blade n" will be given, where n is an
integer starting at 1).
The individual blade objects contain a profile curve file specification and a setting to indicate which single blade
in the file applies; numbering starts at zero.

66
Blade Tab
Apply Settings To All Blades Check Box
When Apply Settings To All Blades is selected, Blade Set settings overwrite the corresponding blade object
settings. If Apply Settings To All Blades is cleared, the settings that apply to all blades are disabled.
If you change a setting for a blade object, and the Blade Set object has a corresponding setting, then the Apply
Settings To All Blades check box will be cleared to help prevent accidentally losing the blade-specific settings in
case you reapply the Blade Set object.
Coordinate System and Blade File Definition

File Name
Set File Name to the name of the blade set file. To open a file selector, click Browse
The blade file must contain data points which define the blade profile (or rib) curves and should have the file
extension .curve or .crv.
The profile points must be listed line by line, in free-format ASCII style in a closed-loop surrounding the blade.
A minimum of two profiles are required in the blade file: one which lies close to the hub surface and one which lies
close to the shroud surface. The profile is not required to lie exactly on the surface. If it lies between the hub and
shroud surfaces, it must be within 8% of the span from the surface. If a profile lies outside of the passage, its distance
from the surface has no maximum limit.
Profiles can be used to define tips. For details, see The Hub Tip and Shroud Tip Objects (p. 73). Profiles are allowed,
and sometimes required, beyond a tip.
The profiles must be listed in the file in order from hub to shroud. Individual profile datasets are separated by a line
beginning with the # character. Any text following the # character is used as the name associated with the
subsequent profile.
For example:
# Hub Profile
0.0 0.0 1.0 le
1.0 0.0 1.0
1.0 1.0 1.0 te
0.0 1.0 1.0
0.0 0.0 1.0
# Intermediate Blade Profile
0.0 0.0 2.0 le
1.0 0.0 2.0
1.0 1.0 2.0 te
0.0 1.0 2.0
0.0 0.0 2.0
# Shroud Tip Profile
0.0 0.0 2.75 le
1.0 0.0 2.75
1.0 1.0 2.75 te
0.0 1.0 2.75
0.0 0.0 2.75
# Shroud Profile
0.0 0.0 3.0 le
1.0 0.0 3.0
1.0 1.0 3.0 te

67

0.0
0.0
1.0
0.0
3.0
3.0
There is no restriction on the number of profiles or the number of data points in a profile dataset. However, as noted
above, a minimum of two profiles is required.
Coordinates, Angle Units, and Length Units
Set Coordinates, Angle Units, and Length Units according to the data in the blade file.
Geometric Representation
ANSYS TurboGrid generates blade surfaces using a two-step process:
1.
Curves are generated.
2.
A surface is created by lofting across the set of curves (that is, sweeping from one curve to the next).
The Geometric Representation settings control how these steps are performed.
Method
The Method setting allows two preset methods, and one general method, for controlling the settings that govern
the geometric representation of blade surfaces (that is, the Lofting, Curve Type, and Surface Type settings,
described shortly).
The available Method options are:
BladeModeler
The BladeModeler option sets Lofting to Spanwise, Curve Type to Bspline, and Surface Type to
Ruled.
Flank Milled
The Flank Milled option sets Lofting to Streamwise, Curve Type to Piece-wise Linear, Surface
Type to Ruled.
Specify
The Specify option makes the Lofting, Curve Type, and Surface Type settings available for direct
specification.
The following rules are followed by ANSYS TurboGrid for selecting the geometric representation method:
If you load a blade from a BladeModeler .inf file, the BladeModeler option will be selected automatically.
If the BladeModeler option is selected and there are only 2 blade profile curves (for the applicable blade),
the selected option will change to Flank Milled (which is equivalent, in this case).
If the Flank Milled option is selected and there are more than 2 blade profile curves (for the applicable
blade), the selected option will change to BladeModeler and a warning message will be issued.
Lofting
The direction in which lofting occurs is set by the Lofting setting. The available Lofting options are:
Streamwise
The curves that are swept in the process of streamwise lofting are formed by connecting corresponding points
between adjacent blade profiles. For this method of lofting, you must ensure that:
each blade profile has the same number of points
the points are ordered in the same direction
the first, nth, and last point of each blade profile are at similar locations around the blade
Spanwise
The curves that are swept in the process of spanwise lofting are the blade profile curves.
Figure 10.4, Spanwise Lofting versus Streamwise Lofting (p. 69) shows how spanwise lofting and streamwise
lofting differ.
68
Figure 10.4. Spanwise Lofting versus Streamwise Lofting
The appropriate lofting setting depends on how the geometry was produced. For example, ANSYS BladeModeler
can produce blades via streamwise or spanwise lofting. The appropriate setting is stored in the BladeGen.inf
file. As another example, a flank-milled blade should be generated and interpreted using two blade profiles (one at
(or near) the hub and one at (or near) the shroud) with streamwise lofting.
Note
The method of sweeping through the curves in the lofting process is controllable via the Surface Type
setting, which can be set to Bspline (default) or Ruled. For details, see Surface Type (p. 70). For
streamwise lofting, the Bspline method may cause unexpected results. In this case, the workaround
is to use the Ruled method.
Curve Type
The set of curves that are used to loft the blade surface may be constructed in one of two ways, as determined by
the Curve Type setting. The available Curve Type settings are:
Piece-wise linear

69

The Piece-wise linear setting causes the points listed for each profile in the blade file to be connected
to one another with straight lines. You should use this setting when you have a large number of points (1000 or
more) in a profile. This setting is always used when Method is set to Flank Milled.
Bspline
The Bspline setting results in the interpolation of a smooth curve for each profile using points listed in the
blade file. This setting may be necessary if the profile curves are defined with a small number of points. This
setting is discouraged when you have a large number of points (1000 or more) in a profile, due to undesirable
effects on the shape of the spline, and due to limitations of the software. The Bspline setting is the default
when Method is set to BladeModeler or Specify.
Surface Type
The manner in which the set of curves is lofted is controlled by the Surface Type setting. The available Surface
Type options are:
Ruled
A ruled surface is created by sweeping along linear paths that connect one curve to a corresponding place on
the next curve. The Ruled method for surfaces is similar to the Piece-wise linear method for curves,
but is done in 2 dimensions instead.
Bspline
A B-spline surface is created by sweeping along curvilinear paths that connect one curve to a corresponding
place on the next curve. The Bspline method may be necessary if the blade is defined with a small number
of profile curves.
Leading and Trailing Edge Definitions

ANSYS TurboGrid uses an algorithm to determine the location of the leading edge curve(s) and trailing edge
curve(s) and in most cases gets the correct locations (double edges are possible in the case of cut-off or square
edges). In some instances, the location of one or more of the points may need to be adjusted. See Leading Edge (p. 72)
and Trailing Edge (p. 73) for information about adjusting the leading and trailing edges.
If you know which points on each profile should lay on the leading and trailing edge curves, you can optionally
designate them in the blade file using a fourth field. This ensures the correct positioning of the leading and trailing
edge curves in the beginning. The leading edge point on a profile should have le1 (or le2 for the second leading
edge in the case of a double leading edge) in the fourth field and the trailing edge point on a profile should have
te1 (or te2) in the fourth field. These points are then guaranteed to be listed in the leading edge or trailing edge
objects. For an example of the format of a blade file containing leading and trailing edge designations, try the
following:
1.
Load a blade file into ANSYS TurboGrid.
2.
Optionally change the type of leading or trailing edge between single and double (using the LE Type and TE
Type settings which are described below).
3.
Save the blade file and examine it in a text editor, noting the le1, te1 (and, for double edges le2 and te2) entries
in the fourth field.
Cut-off or square
This is an option that may be used to create a flat leading/trailing edge between two edge curves. See Figure 10.5,
Trailing Edge with Pair of Edge Curves (p. 71) for an example of a cut-off or square trailing edge.

70
Figure 10.5. Trailing Edge with Pair of Edge Curves
The Cut-off or square option is intended for use on blade profiles that have discontinuities in slope at the edges.
Use of this option on rounded or blunt leading/trailing edges may result in edge curves that are not placed in optimal
locations (i.e., further adjustments may be necessary).
The Cut-off or square option affects formation of the topology. For details, see Topology with Cut-off or Square
Leading or Trailing Edges (p. 86).
Line of rotation on hub and shroud
This option, available in the Blade Set object, generates a line of rotation from each cut-off point of a cut-off
or square blade edge. A cut-off or square edge having the same axial and radial coordinates at both cut-off points
will have lines of rotation that coincide. In this case, the Line of rotation on hub and shroud option will divide
the passage mesh, hub, and shroud at the cut-off edge by a surface of revolution about the machine axis. Additional
2D and 3D regions will be created as a result of this division of the passage. This allows, for example, the mesh to
be used in a simulation where the portion of the passage mesh surrounding the blade rotates, while the rest of the
passage mesh is stationary.
This option may still be used if the cut-off points do not have the same axial and radial coordinates, although the
interface between the divisions will not be a surface of revolution.
As a result of the division of the passage, the topology (see Topology (p. 76)) will also be affected. For details, see
Topology with Cut-off or Square Leading or Trailing Edges (p. 86).
Bias of Blade towards High Periodic

The Bias of Blade towards High Periodic > Factor setting, available in the Blade Set object, controls the
location of the periodic surface in the passage, with respect to the first blade of the blade set. Set Factor to a number
somewhere between 0 and 1. A higher value brings the high periodic surface closer to the first blade (causing the
low periodic surface to move further from the blade). A lower value brings the low periodic surface closer to the
blade. The main purpose of this feature is to avoid having a periodic surface too close to (esp. touching), the blade
surface. Such a situation can occur for some blade geometries.
Curve or Surface Visibility

The visibility of curves and surfaces for a blade object works in the same way as for the hub. For details, see Curve
or Surface Visibility (p. 66).
71
Reread Button
If the file that defines the blade profile has been modified since it was last loaded, clicking the Reread button will
cause the blade profile data to be reloaded. The hub and shroud objects also have this feature.
Save & Load Button

If a leading or trailing edge point has been moved, the Save & Load button appears in place of the Reread button.
Selecting this button causes the modified blade profile data to be saved to a profile file (you will be prompted for
the name), then reloaded (from the same file) in order for the new geometry to take effect. The leading edge and
trailing edge objects also have this feature.
Transform Tab
The Transform tab contains specifications for rotational and translational transforms that adjust the geometry. The
settings on this tab adjust the blade geometry only. The hub and shroud can also have their coordinates transformed
using the corresponding tab of those objects.
General Rotation
Specify an axis via two points and a rotation angle about the axis.
Translation
Specify the direction and distance to translate the geometry. The direction may be any one of: Machine Axis,
X Axis, Y Axis, Z Axis, or Vector (any specified direction).
Axial Rotation
Specify the angle to revolve the geometry about the machine axis.
Leading Edge
The leading edge curve is the most upstream part of the blade. To modify the blade's leading edge, select the leading
edge object from the object selector. The leading edge can only be defined after the blade has been defined.
Leading Edge Tab

Curve
The leading edge curve appears green in the viewer window and each point on the curve (one for each blade profile,
or rib, curve) is marked with an octahedron symbol. The points are listed from hub to shroud. Edit the individual
leading edge point locations to create the correct leading edge curve for the blade.
The quality of the mesh is dependent on the accuracy of the leading edge curve. In most cases, the initial placement
of leading edge points is adequate. However there are some cases when some points may need to be moved.
Any change to the leading edge changes the blade surfaces, which changes the periodic surfaces as well as the hub
and shroud surfaces. In order to avoid the delays associated with recreating the entire geometry after any modification
to the leading edge, another step is required. The blade must be saved after the modifications to the leading edge
are complete. For details, see Save Blade As Command (p. 16). The saved blade file contains data in the fourth
field to designate the leading edge points. To complete the leading edge modification, the blade object must be
updated with this new blade file. For details, see The Blade Set Object and Blade Objects (p. 66).
There are several steps required to edit the location of a point on the leading edge curve.
1.
Select the point to edit by clicking on it in the list of points. Alternatively, you can pick the point to edit from
the viewer after clicking Select
(on the viewer toolbar).
2.
Click in any coordinate widget and then click the new location for the point in the viewer. The coordinates of
the picked point are displayed in the object editor. Alternatively, type the coordinates of the new location for
the point or use the embedded sliders. The units of the coordinates are the base units or solution units. For
details, see Units (p. 64).
3.
Click Apply to save the new location of the current point.

72
The Hub Tip and Shroud Tip Objects

Picking Mode can also be used to select and translate leading edge points in the viewer. For details, see Selecting
and Dragging Objects while in Viewing Mode (p. 49). After moving the leading edge point, it will snap to the
nearest point on the current profile curve.
If the leading edge points were designated in the blade file, it may not be necessary to adjust them since, in that
case, the leading edge curve may already be acceptable. For details, see Coordinate System and Blade File
Definition (p. 67).
Save & Load Button
If a leading or trailing edge point has been moved, the Save & Load button appears. Clicking this button causes
the modified blade profile data to be saved to a profile file (you will be prompted for the name), then reloaded (from
the same file) in order for the new geometry to take effect. The blade and trailing edge objects also have this feature.
Trailing Edge
The trailing edge curve is the most downstream part of the blade. The trailing edge curve appears red in the viewer
window. Because of the similarity of the trailing edge with the leading edge, please see Leading Edge (p. 72) for
details.
The Hub Tip and Shroud Tip Objects

The shroud tip is the portion of the blade surface that exists as a result of the blade not extending all the way to the
shroud. By default, the blade extends all the way to the shroud (i.e., no shroud tip exists). To create a shroud tip,
edit the Shroud Tip object after the blade has been defined.
The hub tip is similar to the shroud tip, except that it is at the hub end of the blade. The settings for the hub tip are
stored in the Hub Tip object.
Note
It is possible to specify a hub tip and a shroud tip for the same blade.
Note
Using a tip clearance on one blade but not another is possible by changing the CCL for individual blades,
but could produce an invalid mesh near the tip of any blade that does not have tip clearance.
Hub Tip and Shroud Tip Tabs

Clearance Type
The Tip Option setting has the following options:
None
This option causes the blade to extend from hub to shroud.
Constant Span
This option creates a tip at the span location that you specify. A span of 0.0 represents the hub and a span of 1.0
represents the shroud. The span value for the hub tip must be between 0 and 0.5; the span value for the shroud
tip must be between 0.5 and 1.0.
Normal Distance
This option creates a tip so that the gap distance is whatever you specify.
Variable Normal Distance

This option creates a tip so that the gap distance varies from leading edge to trailing edge using values that you
specify. The gap distance varies linearly with m-coordinate as calculated on the hub (for a hub tip) or shroud
(for a shroud tip).
Profile Number

73
The Low Periodic and High Periodic Objects

This option creates a tip at the blade profile that you specify. The available profiles are defined in the blade file.
For details, see The Blade Set Object and Blade Objects (p. 66). The profile closest to the hub is profile 1.
Note
The blade surface and resulting mesh can be adversely affected when a blade shroud tip is defined
by the second-last profile, and the last profile has a shape that is inconsistent with where the blade
would exist if the blade were extended in the spanwise direction without the last profile. To avoid
this problem, you can either ensure that the last profile is consistent with the second last profile, or
manually remove the last profile from the curve file. A similar statement applies for the hub end of
a blade having a hub tip.
The Low Periodic and High Periodic Objects

The low periodic surface extends from hub to shroud and inlet to outlet along the side of the mesh that has the lowest
Theta values (The direction of Theta is determined by the machine rotation axis and the right-hand rule.). The high
periodic surface is on the opposite side of the passage from the low periodic surface (i.e., on the high-Theta side).
The periodic surfaces can be modified only after the blade has been defined.
Data Tab
Set Method to one of the following:
Automatic
This option creates the periodic surface automatically. The shape of the periodic surface is based on the geometry
of the adjacent blades. The position of the automatically-generated periodic surface is governed by the Bias of
Blade towards High Periodic setting found in the Blade Set object, as well as the # of Bladesets setting
of the Machine Data object.
From File
This option allows you to load a periodic surface that was saved to a file. The Length Units setting controls the
units that will be used to interpret the coordinate data in the file. The Rotation Angle setting transforms the
loaded periodic surface by rotating by the specified angle about the machine rotation axis. Note that the # of
Bladesets setting of the Machine Data object will not change automatically due to changes to the Rotation
Angle setting.
Rendering Properties
To modify the color or rendering of the low or high periodic surface, right-click the Low Periodic or High
Periodic object (respectively), then select Render (Properties) > Edit Options.
The Inlet and Outlet Objects

The inlet region of the passage is controlled by the Inlet object. The outlet region is controlled by the Outlet
object.
You can modify the Inlet and Outlet objects only after the blade has been defined.
Note
If a 3D inlet (or outlet) region is added, the inlet (or outlet) object becomes the interface between this
3D region and the topology. For details, see Inlet Domain and Outlet Domain Settings (p. 92).
Inlet Tab or Outlet Tab

Control Angle
By default, ANSYS TurboGrid automatically adjusts the geometry upstream and downstream of the blade. You
can override the angle of the periodic surface relative to the rotation axis. This can be useful for improving the
quality of the mesh and/or guiding the mesh in the general flow direction.
74
The Inlet and Outlet Objects
Initialize points to full extents of Hub or Shroud curves

The Initialize points to full extents of Hub/Shroud curves option is only visible before the hub, shroud, and blade
are loaded. When selected, all inlet points will move to the very beginning of the passage (as far away from the
blade as possible). Similarly, all outlet points will move to the very end of the passage. Such a feature can be useful
when the shape of the blade is likely to intersect the default placement of the inlet points.
Automatically Generate Intermediate Points

This option is only available before the hub, shroud, and blade are loaded. It is on by default. When selected, a set
of intermediate points will be generated between the low hub point and low shroud point upon loading the geometry
(hub, shroud and blade). The purpose of these points is to control the meridional shape of the inlet surface. The
automatic generation process aims to add an appropriate number of points, placed at locations that follow the shape
of the leading edge of the blade.
Curve
The inlet/outlet curve consists of a set of points that guide the meridional shape of the inlet end of the passage mesh
as a function of the local spanwise direction. By default, a set of points is automatically generated (see Automatically
Generate Intermediate Points (p. 75)).
The inlet/outlet curve can be defined by creating, modifying and deleting points in the list of points. There must be
a point at both the hub and shroud while additional points are optional. The points are connected linearly and must
be listed in order from hub to shroud, or they will be ignored.
A point can be selected by clicking on it in the list of points or by picking it in the viewer window. For details on
picking points in the viewer, see Selecting and Dragging Objects while in Viewing Mode (p. 49). The available
icons become active when a point is selected. Alternatively, you can right-click on an existing point in the list of
points to see the same options. Each icon and its function is described in the following table:
Icon
Description
New adds a point in the list of points below the selected point. The initial location of the
new point on the Inlet is between the locations of the selected point and the following point
in the list of points. You cannot create a new point after the low shroud point.
Generate intermediate points removes all points except for the low hub point and the low
shroud point, then automatically generates a set of zero or more points between them.
Delete removes the selected point from the list of points. You cannot delete the low hub
point or the low shroud point.
Read from File opens a load file window. Select the file with the inlet points and click
Open.
You can modify the location of the selected point by:

1.
Typing in the coordinates (axial, radial, or both, depending on the selected Method option), or
2.
Selecting and dragging the point in the viewer using the left mouse button. This can be done as for a control
point. For details, see How to Select and Move a Control Point (p. 98).
Set Method to one of the available options:
From A and R
Set A
Set R
Regardless of the method used to modify the location of the selected point, the location is restricted. The low hub
point snaps to the line of intersection between the hub and low periodic surfaces. The low shroud point snaps to the
line of intersection between the shroud and low periodic surfaces. Use the OUTLINE object as a guide when dragging
the points. Any other points between the hub and shroud snap to the low periodic surface and are not constrained
in the spanwise or streamwise directions. Inlet points cannot be moved further downstream on the low periodic

75
The Outline Object

surface than a position level with the leading edge of the blade. After you have clicked Apply, or dragged a point,
the Selected Point setting will show the actual position to which the point has moved.
Note
The points are defined using the A-R coordinate system as opposed to the X-Y coordinate system.
The visibility of the inlet (or outlet) points is controlled by the Point Visibility check box.
Using an Adjacent Stage to Define the Inlet/Outlet Stage Interface

You can automatically adjust a stage interface (i.e., the inlet/outlet points that shape the end of the passage mesh)
by loading a blade from the adjacent stage. To do this:
1.
Click the Interface button in Inlet or Outlet editor, depending on the location of the next stage.
The Open Blade File dialog box appears.
2.
Select and open the file that defines the blade in the adjacent stage.
Note that the hub and shroud curves are required to extend past this blade.
ANSYS TurboGrid will then do the following:
Adjust the stage interface location according to the shape of the new blade.
Add a graphical representation of the new blade to the Inlet or Outlet object, as applicable.
Turn on the visibility of the Inlet or Outlet object, as applicable.
Make the Points generated using adjacent stage check box available, and initially selected.
The Points generated using adjacent stage option overrides the Curve settings, forcing them to be computed
based on the blade from the adjacent stage.
Using Stage Interfaces

In order to produce a proper stage interface, you should follow these guidelines:
Use the same hub curve for both stages, and the same Curve Type setting: Bspline or Piece-Wise
Linear. The hub curve must extend through both stages to do this.
The same applies to the shroud curve.
As a less preferable alternative, you can use hub curves for each stage. The curves should meet at a point, and
not overlap. When using this method, there is a risk of a discontinuity in slope where the curves meet.
Use the same interface points for stage interfaces. Do this by saving the interface (inlet or outlet geometry object,
as applicable), then loading the interface for the adjacent stage.
The Outline Object

The outline is a group of curves on the outer extents of the geometry. The outline includes the full extent of the hub
and shroud read from the files, independent of the inlet and outlet locations. To modify the color or rendering of
the geometry outline, right-click the OUTLINE object, then select Render (Properties) > Edit Options. You can
only modify the outline after the blade has been defined.
Topology
The topology is a structure of blocks that acts as a framework for positioning mesh elements. Topology blocks
represent sections of the mesh that contain a regular pattern of hexahedral (hex) elements. They are laid out adjacent
to each other without overlap or gaps, with shared edges and corners between adjacent blocks, such that the entire
domain is filled. By using topology blocks to control the placement of hex elements, a valid hex mesh can be
generated to fill a domain of arbitrary shape. The topology is invariant from hub to shroud and is viewed/edited on
2-D layers which are located at various spanwise stations (see Layers (p. 92)).
The topology blocks can be arranged in a regular (structured) pattern, an irregular (unstructured) pattern, or in a
pattern consisting of structured patches and unstructured patches. The choice of which approach should be followed
76
The Topology Set Object and Topology Objects

should be based on whichever method minimizes the maximum skew of the topology blocks, since the skew in the
hex elements of the mesh is directly related (differs only because of mesh smoothing). The topology should then
be investigated at various layers (especially the hub and shroud layers) to check its quality since the mesh quality
is directly dependent.
Note
To visualize the topology on a layer, turn on the visibility using the visibility check box for that layer
in the object selector and ensure that at least one topology visibility setting for the layer is turned on.
The Topology Visibility setting controls the visibility of the yellow line segments that outline the
topology block edges. The Master Topology Visibility setting controls the visibility of the violet line
segments that outline the master topology edges. For details, see Topology Visibility (p. 96).
A key feature of ANSYS TurboGrid is the visibility of the surface mesh on the topology. As you adjust the topology,
ANSYS TurboGrid adjusts the surface mesh in real time so that the true effect of topology changes is visible. To
help identify problem areas in the surface mesh before you generate the full 3D mesh, you can visualize mesh
statistics on the layers.
Topology blocks generally contain the same number of mesh elements along each side. The mesh elements vary in
size across topology blocks in a way that produces a smooth transition1 within and between blocks. This is
accomplished by shifting the nodes (node biasing2) toward, or away from, certain block edges. The topology
blocks are positioned by default so that the mesh element sizes vary as smoothly as possible, given the constraints.
The following changes to the topology object settings can influence the variation in mesh element edge ratios:
Changing the number of topology blocks along certain paths (e.g., across the blade passage or from a blade's
leading edge to the inlet). For details, see Blade Blocks Calculation (p. 83), and Blade to Periodic/Inlet/Outlet
Surface Block Distribution (p. 83).
Moving control points which control the position of block edges on a given layer. For details, see Master Control
Points (p. 98) and Added Control Points (p. 100).
The following topics are discussed:
The Topology Set Object and Topology Objects (p. 77)
Topology with Cut-off or Square Leading or Trailing Edges (p. 86)
ATM Optimized Topology (p. 87)

To define the topology settings that affect the topology of every blade in the blade set, edit the Topology Set
. To define or modify the settings that affect the
object from the object selector or click Edit Topology Set
topology for individual blades in the blade set, edit the corresponding blade-specific topology objects stored under
the Topology Set object. You can only define the topology set or topology for an individual blade after the
geometry has been defined. For details, see Steps to Create a Mesh (p. 61).
Definition Tab
Apply Settings To All Topologies Check Box
When the Apply Settings To All Topologies check box is selected, some Topology Set settings overwrite the
corresponding blade-specific topology settings. When the check box is not selected, those same settings are disabled,
enabling you to set the corresponding blade-specific settings independently.
If you change a setting for a blade-specific topology object, and the Topology Set object has a corresponding
setting, then the Apply Settings To All Topologies check box will be cleared to help prevent accidentally losing
the blade-specific settings in case you reapply the Topology Set object.
The smooth transition is not preserved if ordinary control points are moved. However, the smooth transition is preserved if master control points are moved.
Node biasing is an important aspect of mesh generation because it helps to reduce the number of mesh elements.

77
Topology Definition
The Topology Definition settings govern the general way in which the mesh is generated.
These settings are described in the following sections:
Placement (p. 78)
Method (p. 78)
Placement
The Placement setting makes it possible to choose between:
ATM Optimized (Beta)

This is a Beta feature. For details, see User's Guide to the Automated Meshing Beta Feature in ANSYS TurboGrid
12.1 (p. 113).
Traditional with Control Points

This enables you to select from the topology types described in Method (p. 78).
Method
The Method options are described next:
None prevents the creation of topology.

This is useful when making changes to the geometry since the topology and mesh preview are not recreated
after every minor geometry change.
H/J/C/L-Grid allows a separate choice of topology type for the upstream and downstream ends of the passage
mesh. The decisions are automatic by default but an override is available. For more information, see H/J/C/L
Topology Definition (p. 82).
H-Grid applies a topology of type H-Grid. An example of an topology of type H-Grid is shown in Figure 10.6,
Topology of Type H-Grid (p. 78).
Figure 10.6. Topology of Type H-Grid

78
J-Grid applies a topology of type J-Grid with an optional embedded O-Grid that surrounds the blade. An
example of a topology of type J-Grid is shown in Figure 10.7, Topology of Type J-Grid (p. 79). A topology
of type J-Grid always wraps in opposite directions around the leading and trailing edges (unlike choosing the
J-J case of a topology of type H/J/C/L-Grid. For more information, see H/J/C/L Topology Definition (p. 82).).
Figure 10.7. Topology of Type J-Grid
H-Grid Dominant adds some topology blocks in a structured manner around an optional embedded O-Grid
that surrounds the blade (as for a topology of type H-Grid), then completes the mesh by adding topology blocks
in an unstructured manner. The structured blocks extend upstream of the leading edge, downstream of the trailing
edge, and from the blade to the periodic surfaces. An example of a topology of type H-Grid Dominant is shown
in Figure 10.8, Topology of type H-Grid Dominant (p. 80).

79
Figure 10.8. Topology of type H-Grid Dominant
From File uses a previously saved topology file as a starting point for a new topology.
Topology files can be saved in the GUI (see Save Topology Command (p. 16)), or created manually using a
text editor. If you have a topology file that you want to share with anyone using your installation of ANSYS
TurboGrid, it should be saved in the directory <CFXROOT>/etc/templates. A typical template (.tgt
file extension) for a topology of type H-Grid is provided in this directory.
Include O-Grid
An O-Grid is a topology that forms a continuous loop around the blade profile (as would be seen in a blade-to-blade
view). Using an O-Grid around the blade yields excellent boundary layer resolution and near-orthogonal elements
on the blade.
To use an O-Grid, select Include O-Grid.
The Width Factor setting is used to adjust the thickness of the O-Grid. A width factor of n means that the O-Grid
thickness is roughly n times the average blade width at a particular span location (The span location is set on the
Advanced Parameters tab.).
One-To-One Interface Ranges

Periodic
The Periodic setting controls which parts of one side of the periodic surface are connected to the other side via
one-to-one node matching. The possible options are:
Full
This is the default option. All of the nodes on one periodic surface correspond in a 1-to-1 fashion with nodes
on the other periodic surface.
Between Blades & Upstream

The periodic surfaces have a 1-to-1 correspondence along the section between blades, and along the inlet block,
but not along the outlet block. The latter is connected by a GGI interface.
80
Between Blades & Downstream

The periodic surfaces have a 1-to-1 correspondence along the section between blades, and along the outlet block,
but not along the inlet block. The latter is connected by a GGI interface.
Between Blades
The periodic surfaces have a 1-to-1 correspondence along the section between blades, but not along the portions
in the inlet and outlet blocks. The latter are connected by GGI interfaces.
None
A GGI interface is used along the entire periodic surface. In general, the nodes along one side of a GGI interface
do not correspond with nodes on the other side.
Passage
The Passage setting controls the type of interface for all passage interfaces (i.e., all interfaces between adjacent
blades in the blade set). Setting Passage to Full produces 1-to-1 interfaces. Setting Passage to None produces
GGI interfaces. In general, the nodes along one side of a GGI interface do not correspond with nodes on the other
side.
Tip Topology
Tip Topology is available when a hub or shroud tip (The Hub Tip and Shroud Tip Objects (p. 73)) exists. The Hub
and Shroud settings have the following options:
H-Grid
Most of the blade is filled with an H-Grid block. The leading edge and trailing edge ends are filled with butterfly
mesh blocks. If the H-Grid tip mesh is reasonably orthogonal, this is by far the best choice.
This option is not available when using a topology of type H/J/C/L-Grid for the passage since, in general,
this topology type yields different numbers of elements along each side of the blade.
H-Grid Not Matching

Similar to H-Grid except that the grid is split along the center of the blade thickness and there is no one-to-one
connection of nodes between the halves. This option is useful when the distribution or number of nodes along
each side of the blade is mismatched. When mesh alignment across the blade is difficult or impossible, H-Grid
Not Matching is the best choice for such situations.
The GGI interface is created near the mean camber line of the blade, rather than around the perimeter. This has
the advantage of reducing the GGI surface area and the curvature of the GGI surfaces. It is also coincident in
the tip-to-shroud direction to reduce errors, and is located away from regions of large flow gradients (i.e., away
from the large gradients that occur at the passage/tip junction.
Important
If importing a grid with a non-matching interface into CFX-Pre, you will need to set up the interface
manually when you define the pre-processing for your simulation. Refer to the Domain Interfaces section
of the CFX-Pre documentation for details.
Preserve Control Points on Layers

The Preserve Control Points on Layers option, when selected, will cause the customized relative displacements
of added local control points to be preserved if and when the topology block distribution changes.
Periodicity
Control the behavior of periodic topological vertices and mesh nodes using one of two methods for Projection:
Float on Curves limits the periodic vertices and nodes to lie on the curve formed by intersecting the span
surface (at the specified location), and the periodic surface.
Float on Surface is the default method, and will allow periodic vertices and nodes to float on the span
surface. The result is a topology and mesh which has less stretching between blades and improved skewness
properties along the periodic boundary.

81
Advanced Parameters Tab for Topology Objects

The Advanced Parameters tab exists for every blade topology object.
H/J/C/L Topology Definition

(applies only for topologies of type H/J/C/L-Grid)
The topology type settings used for the upstream and downstream ends of the passage are shown in the drop-down
boxes. When the override is turned off, the settings are determined automatically. When the override is turned on,
the settings are manually adjustable.
When the One-to-one Interfaces: Periodic Range option on the Definition tab of the Topology Set object is
not set to Full, the upstream and/or downstream ends that do not have 1-to-1 periodicity can have a topology of
type L-Grid. An example of a topology of type L-Grid is shown in Figure 10.9, Topology of Type L-Grid (p. 82).
Figure 10.9. Topology of Type L-Grid
For topology types J-Grid and L-Grid, the orientation of the bend is automatically chosen as that which produces
the smallest bending angle.
C-Grid is another available topology type for the leading and/or trailing edges when H/J/C/L Topology is
selected. Before you can set the topology type for the leading or trailing edge to C-Grid, you must select the
H/J/C/L Topology Definition > Override default parameters check box. An example of a topology of type
C-Grid is shown in Figure 10.10, Topology of Type C-Grid (p. 83).

82
Figure 10.10. Topology of Type C-Grid
H-Grid Dominant is another available topology type for the leading and/or trailing edges when H/J/C/L Topology
is selected.
If you specify a topology of type H/J/C/L-Grid, ANSYS TurboGrid assigns default topology types for the
upstream and downstream ends as follows:
1.
The blade metal angle is calculated at the span location of the topology (set on the Advanced Parameters
tab) by linearly interpolating from the corresponding angles at the hub and shroud.
2.
If this angle is greater than 60 and 1-to-1 periodicity is not set for that upstream/downstream end, a topology
of type L-Grid is used; otherwise if the angle is greater than 45, a topology of type J-Grid is used; otherwise
a topology of type H-Grid is used.
Blade Blocks Calculation

The Blade Blocks Calculation settings define the number of topology blocks along each side of the blade from the
leading edge to the trailing edge. In the case of multiple blades per blade set, these settings are available only for
the first blade in the set.
The number of blocks is the starting point which ANSYS TurboGrid uses to create a topology. The driving force
for topology creation is to approach isotropy and orthogonality, meaning that each block is as close to having equal
lengths and right angles as possible. The entered value for # of Blocks is treated as a target, but may not exactly
match the resulting topology. In most cases, the number of blocks in the topology is quite close to the number of
blocks defined.
Specify the blade block distribution using a uniform or non-uniform method. If you select non-uniform, enter a
target value for the number of constant blocks (Const Blocks), which determines a target for the number of the
blocks which have a uniform distribution (the actual number may not be the same as the target value). If set to zero
(default), the maximum number of constant blocks is automatically calculated.
Blade to Periodic/Inlet/Outlet Surface Block Distribution

These options are for specifying the block count from the blade to the following surfaces:
Periodic Surface

83
Inlet
Outlet
In the case of multiple blades per blade set, the blade to inlet and blade to outlet settings are available only for the
first blade in the set.
Block Count
The Block Count parameter is the most basic parameter for controlling the number of topology blocks between the
blade and the applicable surface (periodic, inlet, or outlet). The availability of this parameter is dependent on other
topology settings.
Blade to Inlet Surface Block Distribution: Extra at LE
(applies for H/J/C/L-Grid topology when topology type J-Grid is applied at the leading edge)
The Extra at LE option causes the specified number of rows of topology blocks to be added. The added rows extend
from the inlet to the periodic surface that makes an acute angle with the inlet (as measured in the local plane of the
layer on the inside of the layer outline). The rows pass by, and touch, the leading edge O-Grid (or the leading edge
itself, if no O-Grid exists), increasing the number of topology rows between the blade and the inlet.
Blade to Outlet Surface Block Distribution: Extra at TE
(applies for H/J/C/L-Grid topology when topology of type J-Grid is applied at the trailing edge)
The Extra at TE option for Blade to Outlet Surface Block Distribution is analogous to that for Blade to Inlet
Surface Block Distribution.
Sharp Leading/Trailing Edges

To improve mesh orthogonality, ANSYS TurboGrid automatically adapts the topology for sharp leading/trailing
edges.
Figure 10.11, No Sharp Edge Treatment versus Sharp Edge Treatment (p. 84) shows the effect of the sharp edge
treatment on the topology near a blade edge. Note that the sharp edge treatment improves element face angles in
the refined mesh.
Figure 10.11. No Sharp Edge Treatment versus Sharp Edge Treatment
For blade edges that are slightly blunt, you may wish to manually control whether a sharp edge treatment is applied
or not applied. For the leading edge, do the following:
1.
Select the Override Sharp LE Determination check box.
2.
Select or clear the Sharp Leading Edge check box to force the sharp edge treatment to be applied or not
applied.
The trailing edge settings work similarly.

Note that the sharp edge treatment is not supported for cut-off edges.

84
O-Grid Corner Vertices

For a cut-off or square blade edge, the two vertices at the end of an O-grid can be positioned using two different
methods which are explained next, and illustrated in Figure 10.12, O-Grid Corner Vertex Placement: At Same AR
versus Project to OGrid (p. 85):
At Same AR
This option causes the O-Grid end vertices to be positioned at the same axial and radial coordinates as the blade
end.
Project to OGrid
This option causes the O-Grid end vertices to be positioned at the projected locations of the blade end corners,
with projections being outward from the blade in a direction normal to the O-Grid.
Figure 10.12. O-Grid Corner Vertex Placement: At Same AR versus Project to OGrid
Span Location for Controlling Topology

The span is the distance between the hub and shroud, expressed as a fraction between 0 and 1. The span is calculated
when m'-Theta coordinates are created. For details, see Transformation Commands and Coordinate Systems (p. 110).
ANSYS TurboGrid uses a span parameter for several reasons related to topology, including:
Obtaining blade metal angles so that ANSYS TurboGrid can automatically set topology types after you have
specified the topology method: H/J/C/L-Grid.
Calculating an appropriate number of topology blocks between the blade and the periodic interface or interface
between blades.
By default, the span location is set to 0.5 (that is, 50% of the span). To adjust the span parameter, called Span
Location, edit the Topology Set object using the Command Editor dialog box.
Freeze Button
In the course of creating a mesh, after you have decided on a topology type, you can freeze (make static) the topology
advanced parameters by doing either of the following:
Clicking the Freeze button, which is in the object editor for the Topology Set object and any blade-specific
topology object. This freezes all topology advanced parameters for all blade-specific topology objects.
Turning on all of the overrides manually on the Advanced Parameters tabs of all blade-specific topology
objects.
If any of the topology advanced parameters are not static (that is, they do not have overrides turned on), they will
be recalculated if any geometry object is loaded or changed. This could result in an unwanted change to the topology.
Geometry changes include:
85
Topology with Cut-off or Square Leading or Trailing Edges
Loading a different hub, shroud, or profile curve
Moving an inlet or outlet point (for example, inlet low shroud point)
Saving a state file on one computer and then restoring the state on another (the effect of round-off differences)
Since changes to topology can destroy local control points, ensure that topology advanced parameters are frozen.
Note
When the H-Grid Dominant topology type option is selected, the freeze in topology is accomplished
by saving the topology to a file and then loading it. This is performed semi-automatically; you only need
to provide the file name for the topology file. In this case, upon loading the topology, the method will
change to From File and, as usual for that method, the overrides on the Advanced Parameters tab
will be permanently selected.
Topology with Cut-off or Square Leading or Trailing Edges

Using the Cut-off or Square Option
The blade geometry object allows leading and trailing edges to be specified as cut-off or square (For details, see
Cut-off or square (p. 70).). This option can affect the topology.
Figure 10.13, Cut-off Trailing Edge using Topology of Type H-Grid with O-Grid (p. 86) shows an example of
how the Cut-off or Square option causes an O-Grid to be truncated from the end of the blade, starting at the
pair of edge curves.
Figure 10.13. Cut-off Trailing Edge using Topology of Type H-Grid with O-Grid
The Cut-off or Square option can also be used for a topology with no O-Grid present. In this case, the topology
points surrounding the blade edge will be constrained to lie on the edge curves.
Automatic Generation of Edge Split Controls

When a cut-off or square edge is used (or when a topology of type C-Grid is used), ANSYS TurboGrid automatically
adds edge split controls just off the end of the blade in order to improve element size matching in that region. The
edge split controls are found under the Mesh Data object. If you open one of the automatically-created edge split
86
ATM Optimized Topology

controls in the object editor, you will see that the Automatically computed split factor check box is selected by
default. When selected, this check box causes the edge split value to be calculated automatically. To override the
Split Factor setting, clear the check box. The Split Factor setting is multiplied by the global block edge split count
in order to determine the local block edge split count. For details about edge split controls, see Edge Split
Controls (p. 92).
Using the Line of Rotation on Hub and Shroud Option

When the Line of Rotation on Hub and Shroud option is selected in the Blade Set object, certain topology
points on the hub and shroud layers are constrained to lie on lines of rotation (about the machine axis) starting from
the cut-off edges.
The topology points that are affected are those on the topological paths between the cut-off edges of the blade and
the periodic surfaces. When this option is applied, these points are constrained to lie on the line of rotation, about
the machine axis, of the corresponding cut-off edge point. As a result of this added constraint, the affected topology
points lose 1 degree of freedom; those on the periodic surfaces and O-Grid (if applicable) become fixed, while the
remaining affected topology points become constrained to the line of rotation.
Only topologies of type H-Grid are affected by this option, including the H-Grid portion of a topology of type
H/J/C/L-Grid or H-Grid Dominant.
ATM Optimized Topology

ATM Optimized topology, a beta feature, is an alternative to the standard topologies mentioned in The Topology
Set Object and Topology Objects (p. 77). This topology type enables you to create high-quality meshes with minimal
effort; there is no need for control point adjustment. ATM Optimized topology can only be used for blades without
cut-off or square' leading or trailing edges. To use ATM Optimized topology, set Topology Definition > Placement
to ATM Optimized (Beta), in the Topology Set object. Note that this feature is always visible in the software
interface, regardless of the Enable Beta Features setting in the user preferences. For more information about ATM
Optimized topology, see User's Guide to the Automated Meshing Beta Feature in ANSYS TurboGrid 12.1 (p. 113).
Mesh Data
To define the mesh properties for the entire mesh, edit the Mesh Data object from the object selector or click
Edit Mesh Data
. To define or modify the mesh properties of a blade-specific portion of the mesh, edit the
corresponding object stored under the Mesh Data object.
Defining the Mesh Data object does not create the mesh. The mesh data can only be set after the topology has
been defined, but it is recommended that you set the required mesh size before you create the layers (discussed
later), because the true mesh nodes are displayed on the topology layers as the topology is adjusted. For details on
creating a mesh, see Steps to Create a Mesh (p. 61) and Mesh Command (p. 29).
The Mesh Data Objects

The Mesh Data object contains settings that affect the mesh globally. The individual blade mesh data objects
(stored under the Mesh Data object in the object selector) contain a subset of the settings of the Mesh Data
object, and affect the mesh for individual blades in the blade set.
Mesh Size Tab

The Mesh Size tab is applicable to the Mesh Data object.
Method
The Method setting controls the mesh density, and can be set to one of the following:
Target Passage Mesh Size

The Target Passage Mesh Size method sets a target for the number of nodes in the mesh passage. The
pre-set options for the Node Count setting are Coarse (20000), Medium (100000), and Fine
(250000). There is also an option, Specify, to specify the target number of nodes.

87

ANSYS TurboGrid attempts to achieve the target number of nodes by:
Adjusting number of elements placed along each topology block edge (This can be viewed after pressing
Apply by changing the method to Topology Block Edge Split.)
Adjusting the number of elements from hub to shroud (or to tip, if there is a tip mesh) if these have not been
explicitly set
Topology Block Edge Split

The Topology Block Edge Split method defines how fine the mesh is on each layer. Enter the value
for the number of elements placed along each topology block edge. For example, if you set # of Elements to
2, there are two elements placed along each topology block edge.
The topology block edge split can also be controlled locally. For details, see Edge Split Controls (p. 92).
Near Wall Element Size Specification

The Near Wall Element Size Specification setting controls the method by which the near-wall node spacing is
specified on the Passage and Hub/Shroud Tip tabs. The near-wall node spacing is the distance between a wall
(e.g., hub, shroud, or blade) and the first layer of nodes from the wall.
The available Method options for calculating the near wall spacing are:
y+
For details, see Y Plus (p. 88).
Normalized
For details, see Normalized (p. 88).
Absolute
For details, see Absolute (p. 89).
Y Plus
+
The y+ method allows you to set the near wall spacing, y, in accordance with a target value of y . The target
+
value of y may then be specified on the Passage and Hub/Shroud Tip tabs, as applicable (i.e., when a near wall
size is required by the specified distribution method).
+
The following formula relates the near wall spacing to y :
y = L y+
80 R ex114
1
R eL
(Eq. 10.1)
where L is the blade chord, y is the specified target y+ value, R ex is the Reynolds number based on the distance
along the chord (measured from the leading edge), and R eL is the Reynolds number based on chord length. ANSYS
TurboGrid approximates L as the algebraic average of the chord lengths of each blade profile in the blade file. You
must specify R eL. ANSYS TurboGrid approximates R ex as being equal to the specified value of R eL.
Note
If you specify a near wall size (on the Passage or Hub/Shroud Tip tab) when the near wall method is
+
not y , you can switch the method to y+ (at least temporarily) to see the estimated value of y as a
setting on the Passage or Hub/Shroud Tip tab.
Normalized
The Normalized method allows you to set the near wall spacing as a normalized value. Normalization is interpreted
as the absolute distance divided by the maximum possible distance. The latter is one of the following, as appropriate:
boundary layer thickness
distance from hub (or hub tip, if it exists) to the shroud (or shroud tip, if it exists)
thickness of the O-Grid

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distance from the hub tip to the hub, or shroud tip to the shroud.
Absolute
The Absolute method allows you to set the near wall spacing directly. Such a specification (i.e., on the Passage
or Hub/Shroud Tip tab) requires a dimensional value with units of distance.
Inlet Domain and Outlet Domain Check Boxes

The Inlet Domain and Outlet domain check boxes determine whether or not the inlet and outlet domains are to
be generated as part of the mesh. Settings that affect these grid regions are found on the Inlet/Outlet tab.
Passage Tab
The Passage tab is applicable to the Mesh Data object, and is used to specify distribution settings. Distribution
settings are described generically in Distribution Settings in General (p. 90).
Spanwise Blade Distribution Parameters

Use the Spanwise Blade Distribution Parameters section to control the distribution of mesh elements in the
spanwise direction along the blade.
The Method setting and its associated settings are described in Distribution Settings in General (p. 90).
Apply O-Grid Parameters To All Blades / O-Grid

The O-Grid section (for single-blade cases) and Apply O-Grid Parameters To All Blades section (for multiple-blade
cases) describe distribution of the nodes in the O-Grid, outward from the blade surface. The section is available if
an O-Grid is defined for any blade. To include an O-Grid in the mesh, see Include O-Grid (p. 80).
The Method setting and its associated settings are described in Distribution Settings in General (p. 90).
The Distance setting controls how the O-Grid distance varies from hub to shroud, and has the following options:
Proportional to Radius
Using the Proportional to Radius method (which is default), the O-Grid distance from hub to shroud
is proportional to the average span radius. This may result in the O-Grid distance increasing in size from hub
to shroud.
Proportional to Width
Using the Proportional to Width method, the O-Grid distance from hub to shroud is proportional to
the average span blade thickness.
Constant
Using the Constant method, the O-Grid distance is constant from hub to shroud.
Hub Tip and Shroud Tip Tabs

The Shroud Tip tab is available when a shroud tip exists; the Hub Tip tab is available when a hub tip exists. See
The Hub Tip and Shroud Tip Objects (p. 73) for details on defining the shroud (or hub) tip. These tabs are applicable
to the Mesh Data object, and are used to specify distribution settings.
Hub Tip Distribution Parameters and Shroud Tip Distribution Parameters

Use these settings to control the distribution of mesh elements in the spanwise direction across the tip gap.
Set Method to one of the following:
Match Expansion at Blade Tip
Element Count and Size
Uniform
These methods are described in Distribution Settings in General (p. 90).

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Apply Blade Tip Parameters to All Blades Check Box

The type of topology for the blade tip is selected on the Definition tab of the topology object (see Tip
Topology (p. 81)). When using the H-Grid or H-Grid Not Matching topology types, you may edit the
number of elements across the blade thickness by selecting Override default # of Elements, then setting the
appropriate value(s) for the number of mesh elements. The settings that are available depend on the type of tip
topology (set in the applicable topology object). The following list contains topology-specific information about
the settings:
H-Grid
Set # of Elements to indicate the number of elements across the blade thickness away from the leading edge
and trailing edge. This should be an even number.
Set # of LE Elements/# of TE Elements to indicate the number of rows in the butterfly mesh that fills the
leading/trailing edge. This number must be at least 2 less than the # of Elements since the difference divided
by 2 becomes the number of columns in the butterfly mesh.
H-Grid Not Matching

Set # of Elements to indicate the number of elements across the blade thickness away from the leading edge
and trailing edge.
Tip Centerline Location

The Tip Centerline Location setting is available when the following conditions are met:
The corresponding blade tip, hub or shroud, exists.
The tip topology is set to H-Grid Not Matching.
The corresponding edge of the blade, leading or trailing, is cut off.
The setting controls how the blade centerline behaves at the cut-off end. The options are:
Automatic
Effectively selects one of the other two methods automatically, based on the geometry. If one of the corners of
the cut-off edge is at a sufficiently acute angle (default is 45), then the Corner option is selected, otherwise
the Middle option is selected. The threshold angle can be set by defining the parameter
GGI Tip Angle To Switch Mean Line Into Cut Off Corner (to an angular value; default
unit is [degree]) in the CCL for the blade-specific mesh data object.
Middle
The centerline meets the cut-off blade edge in the middle (between the corners).
Corner
The centerline meets the corner of the cut-off blade edge.
Distribution Settings in General

The distribution of elements along the blade (in the spanwise direction) is controlled by one of these methods:
End Ratio
The End Ratio method is default. Specify an end ratio, which is the ratio of the largest element size (measured
in the pertinent direction) to the element size at the pertinent wall. All other parameters that affect the distribution
(i.e., those for the Element Count and Size method) will be set automatically. The advantage of using
the End Ratio method is that a change in mesh density will result in a self-similar mesh.

To use the Element Count and Size method, specify the number of elements that span the pertinent
extent and whether the distribution is uniform or non-uniform. If the distribution is non-uniform, you must also
specify the number of uniformly-distributed elements (Const Elements) and the element size next to the pertinent
wall(s).
Boundary Layer
90

To use the Boundary Layer method (not applicable for O-Grid settings), specify distribution parameters
for three sections: boundary layer at the hub, boundary layer at the tip/shroud, and the section in between. Layer
Offset means the thickness of the boundary layer and Wall Offset means the thickness of the first element next
to the wall.
Expansion Rate
To use the Expansion Rate method, specify an expansion rate and the element size next to the blade wall.
Uniform
To use the Uniform method, specify the number of elements. Each element is the same size.
Note
The Const Elements value cannot be negative and must be at least 2 less than the # of Elements value
for that region.
The distribution of elements across a tip gap (in the spanwise direction) is controlled by one of these methods:
1.
Match Expansion at Blade Tip

The Match Expansion at Blade Tip method is default. This method will apply the same expansion
factor as that used along the blade span, and will match the size of the elements on each side of the tip clearance
gap with the size of the first element along the blade. An appropriate number of elements is then derived.
2.

(described above)
3.
Uniform
(described above)
When using the End Ratio method, the element count and wall size(s) are updated accordingly in the Element
Count and Size settings (When two wall sizes are adjusted, they are adjusted to the same value.). When using the
Element Count and Size method, the End Ratio setting is updated accordingly.
In the case of an O-Grid distribution, the Blade End Ratio is the size ratio of the passage mesh element nearest the
O-Grid to the O-Grid element nearest the blade surface. A special feature of the distribution settings for O-Grids is
that, if # of Elements is set to 0, the number of elements will be calculated automatically so that the best possible
matching of element sizes at the interface between the O-Grid and the passage is ensured.
Size of Elements Next to Wall (Normalized) is normalized based on the total distance along the blade (not counting
any tip clearance gaps). For example, on the Hub Tip tab, a value of 0.05 for Size of Elements Next to Wall
(Normalized) > Hub represents an element size of five percent of the distance along the blade, applied on the
elements next to the hub, and a value of 0.05 for the Size of Elements Next to Wall (Normalized) > Tip represents
an element size of five percent of the distance along the blade, applied on the elements next to the hub end of the
blade (both in the tip clearance gap and on the blade).
Note
The Size of Elements Next to Wall (Normalized) value must be less than 1 (unity) divided by the
number of elements for that region. If it is not, ANSYS TurboGrid decreases it to meet this criterion.
To increase the quality of the mesh, try to minimize drastic changes in element size. Wherever possible,
attempt to have gradual increases and decreases in element size in all directions.
Inlet/Outlet Tab
The geometries of the inlet and outlet domains of the mesh are controlled by the hub and shroud curves, and the
Inlet and Outlet geometry objects. For details, see The Hub and Shroud Objects (p. 65) and The Inlet and
Outlet Objects (p. 74).
The Inlet/Outlet tab contains settings that affect the mesh in the inlet and outlet domains. The Inlet Domain and
Outlet domain check boxes on the Mesh Size tab of the Mesh Data object determine whether or not the inlet
and outlet domains are to be generated as part of the mesh.
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Edge Split Controls

The nodes of the inlet and outlet domains match one-to-one with the nodes of the passage domain where they meet
at the interfaces. The rest of the mesh in the inlet domain is then as near to being isotropic and orthogonal as possible.
Inlet Domain and Outlet Domain Settings

Setting Mesh Type to H-Grid (default) or H-Grid in Parametric Space specifies an H-Grid type mesh
in the inlet/outlet domain that preserves the boundary layer mesh resolution at the hub and shroud, and automatically
matches the element size at the interface between the inlet/outlet domain and passage domain. In this case, the
streamwise distribution of elements is non-uniform. The # of Elements setting controls the number of elements in
the inlet/outlet domain in the streamwise direction. If the number of elements is 0, the number of elements in the
inlet/outlet domain is determined by matching the element size at the passage interface and expanding the size at a
prescribed rate for each successive element. The default element size ratio is 1.15.
When Mesh Type is set to H-Grid in Parametric Space, the resulting mesh will try to follow a parametric
space created by an elliptic smoothing method. This type of mesh is particularly suitable for return channels.
Important
Clicking the Apply button does not create the mesh, it only saves the Mesh Data object and updates
the 2D mesh previews. To create the mesh, select Insert > Mesh from the main menu or click Create
Mesh
Note
The number of elements is a starting point and the actual mesh may vary slightly if it results in a better
mesh quality.
Mesh Around Blade Tab

The Mesh Around Blade tab is applicable to the blade-specific mesh data objects.
The O-Grid settings on this tab are the same as the O-Grid settings on the Passage tab for the Mesh Data object,
except they are blade-specific. For details, see Apply O-Grid Parameters To All Blades / O-Grid (p. 89).
The Size of Elements Next to Wall (Normalized) setting is described in Distribution Settings in General (p. 90).
The Hub Tip, and Shroud Tip settings are for controlling the number of elements across the hub or shroud tip gap.
They are similar to the settings on the Hub Tip and Shroud Tip tabs for the Mesh Data object. For details, see
Apply Blade Tip Parameters to All Blades Check Box (p. 90).
Tip Centerline Location

For details, see Tip Centerline Location (p. 90).
Edge Split Controls

The number of elements placed along each topology block edge is globally controlled by the Mesh Size tab for the
Mesh Data object. This value can be scaled locally by right-clicking a topology block edge and then selecting
Insert Edge Split Control. This causes an editor to appear for edge split controls. It also causes all
affected topology block edges to become highlighted with red lines. After entering a scale factor (the Split Factor
setting) to multiply the default block edge split and then clicking Apply, the affected topology block edges are
updated. To see the result, turn on the visibility of the refined mesh.
After applying a local edge split control, a new object is created and stored under Mesh Data in the object tree.
This object may be edited or deleted in order to change or remove the local edge split control.
Layers
A layer shows the topology projected onto a given span. The addition of layers improves the 3D mesh by adapting
the topology to the local geometry before mesh generation. Creating (and adjusting if necessary) additional layers
enhances the quality of the mesh by creating a curve for the mesh to follow between the hub and the shroud. The
more complex the blade shape-change from hub to shroud, the more layers will be required. The main user task in
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Adding Layers
ANSYS TurboGrid is the adjustment of control points (discussed later in this section) to alter the topology on various
layers (mainly the hub and shroud layers).
By default, and as a minimum, there are two layers present: one at the hub and one at the shroud. In many cases,
additional layers are required to improve mesh quality.
Adding Layers
Layers can be added from the editor for the Layers object (see The Layers Object (p. 93)), or by right-clicking
a layer object in the selector, and selecting the appropriate command from the Insert submenu of the shortcut menu.
Layers can also be added automatically at the time of mesh creation (default), depending on a setting found in the
editor for the Layers object.
Deleting Layers
The object selector and the editor for the Layers object (The Layers Object (p. 93)) each have an icon to delete
layers (
) as well as a shortcut menu option for deleting layers.
Editing the Settings of Layers

The editor for the Layers object (The Layers Object (p. 93)) and the editor for layer objects (Layer Objects (p. 96))
are used to control various properties of layers.
Layer Visibility
There are visibility check boxes next to each layer listed in the object selector. By right-clicking a layer object, a
shortcut menu will appear, allowing the following visibility options as applicable:
Show
Makes the layer visible.
Show + Hide All Siblings

Makes the layer visible and turns off the visibility of all other layers.
Hide
Turns off the visibility of the layer.
The visibility of a layer can also be controlled by the visibility settings in the individual layer objects.
To change which parts of a layer are visible, select the layer(s) from the object selector, then right-click on the
selection and select an appropriate render option from the shortcut menu. For details, see Master Topology
Visibility (p. 96), Topology Visibility (p. 96), and Refined Mesh Visibility (p. 96).
The Layers Object

The Layers object is used to control the individual layer objects. You can access the Layers objects in the object
selector.
Layers Tab
A number of possible operations are available for a layer by clicking it in the list box and then selecting one of the
icons on the right of the list box, or by right-clicking the object and then selecting an operation from the shortcut
menu.
New Layer
Clicking New Layer
(or right-clicking a layer and selecting New Layer) creates a new layer at the most suitable
span location as determined by ANSYS TurboGrid.

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The Layers Object
Delete Selected Layers

Clicking Delete Selected Layer(s)
removes the selected layer(s). Hold Shift or Ctrl to select multiple layers
to delete. You cannot delete the hub or the shroud layers.
Inserting Layers Automatically

Clicking Auto Add Layers
in the editor for the Layers object, or selecting Insert > Layers Automatically
from the shortcut menu for a layer object, causes ANSYS TurboGrid to insert layers automatically, using built-in
heuristics to determine an appropriate number of layers to insert, and the location of each layer. The number of
layers that ANSYS TurboGrid proposes to add is shown in the editor for the Layers object.
Selecting Insert > Layer Automatically from the shortcut menu for any layer object will cause ANSYS TurboGrid
to insert one layer automatically using built-in heuristics to determine an appropriate location. The position of the
inserted layer does not depend on which layer object you right-click to access the shortcut menu.
Insert Layer After Selected Layer

The Insert Layer After and Insert > Layer After Selected Layer shortcut menu items will cause a new layer to
be created at the span halfway between the selected layer and the next layer. For example, if the only existing layers
are on the hub and the shroud, and Insert > Layer After Selected Layer is selected from the hub, ANSYS TurboGrid
inserts the new layer at a span of 0.5.
Span Location
The span location of a layer can be modified in the Span Location box.
Advanced Parameters Tab

Automatically generate required layers at mesh creation
If you leave Automatically generate required layers at mesh creation turned on, then, upon creating a mesh,
ANSYS TurboGrid will check to see if the number of layers is adequate (according to its recommended number of
layers). If the current number of layers is deemed to be inadequate, new layers will be added automatically (before
the mesh is generated) and a notification that layers are being added will appear in the status bar in the lower-left
corner. The number of layers that ANSYS TurboGrid proposes to add is shown in the editor for the Layers object.
Leading And Trailing Edge O-Grid Control Points

This option controls the constraint on the control point found at the leading or trailing edge of a layer on the outside
edge of the O-Grid (provided that an O-Grid exists, and that the leading/trailing edge is not Cut-off or square
or Line of rotation on hub and shroud, as specified in the editor for the blade).
The following methods are available:
Point
The point will be entirely constrained.
Curve
The point will be allowed to move along the outer edge of the O-Grid.
Surface
The point will be allowed to move freely within the layer.
Default Control Point Type

This setting controls the type (Local or Master) of control points that are added. After a control point has been
added, its type can be changed. For details, see Change control point type to Master (p. 98) and Change control
point type to Local (p. 98).

94
The Layers Object
Orthogonality Factors
The Orthogonality Factors settings control how the elements are distributed along the blade surface for the hub
or shroud layer. The values range from 0, meaning that the topology is aligned across the blade, to 1, meaning that
the orthogonality of the passage mesh with respect to the blade is maximized (possibly at the expense of orthogonality
across the blade). The orthogonality factors are interpolated to the intermediate layers using the values at the hub
and shroud layers.
Another way to control the distribution of elements along the blade surface is to manually add and move control
points along the blade surface. For details, see Added Control Points (p. 100). Due to the influence of orthogonality
factors, though, such manual control of the element distribution can be restricted, especially near the blade leading
and trailing edges, and when the displacements of the control points are large.
Floating the Leading and Trailing Edges on the Blade

The Float leading and trailing edges on blade option lets the O-Grid slide around the leading and trailing edges
for better mesh quality on highly-twisted blades. Although it is possible to obtain similar results by adjusting the
leading/trailing edge curves, it is more convenient to use this topology feature.
To cause the O-Grid to slide around the leading or trailing edge:
1.
Select the Float leading and trailing edges on blade option on the Advanced Parameters tab of the Layers
object and click Apply.
2.
Introduce a master control point on the O-Grid, directly in front of the leading edge or behind the trailing edge,
as applicable.
Note that cut-off or square edges and sharp edges, have no such part of the O-Grid. The Float leading and
trailing edges on blade option is only applicable for blades with single leading/trailing edge curves on edges
that are not sharp.
3.
Move the master control point along the O-Grid.

The refined mesh will show that the mesh slides around the leading/trailing edge.
Note
The mesh may shift slightly on the blade when you select the Float leading and trailing edges on
blade option, even if you have not moved any control points.
The figure below shows the effect of selecting the Float leading and trailing edges on blade option on the
leading edge of a highly-twisted blade. The left side shows the option turned off, and the right side shows the
option turned on. Note the distribution of elements on the blade, as shown by the refined mesh.

95
Layer Objects
Layer Objects
You can access the layer objects under the Layers object in the object selector.
Data Tab
Master Topology Visibility
Clicking in the box will toggle the visibility of the master topology. The master topology is shown as violet line
segments that connect the default master control points (not any added ones).
You can also change the Master Topology Visibility setting from the shortcut menu after selecting and right-clicking
the layer(s) in the object selector, or right-clicking a layer in the viewer.
Topology Visibility
Clicking in the box will toggle the visibility of the topology. The topology is shown as yellow line segments.
You can also change the Topology Visibility setting from the shortcut menu after selecting and right-clicking the
layer(s) in the object selector, or right-clicking a layer in the viewer.
Refined Mesh Visibility

Selecting Refined Mesh Visibility causes the refined mesh to appear in the viewer.
You can also change the Refined Mesh Visibility setting from the shortcut menu after selecting and right-clicking
the layer(s) in the object selector, or right-clicking a layer in the viewer.
When Refined Mesh Visibility is selected, the following refined-mesh quality statisticsMesh Measureare
available for viewing:
Minimum Face Angle
Maximum Face Angle
Maximum Aspect Ratio
To display problem areas in the refined mesh, double-click one of the Mesh Measure statistics in the list.
Figure 10.14, Refined Mesh Showing Areas of Unacceptable Minimum Face Angle (p. 97) shows an example
of problem areas, shown with thick red lines, for the Minimum Face Angle statistic.

96
Layer Objects
Figure 10.14. Refined Mesh Showing Areas of Unacceptable Minimum Face Angle
The Mesh Limits object holds the criteria that determine if the Mesh Measure statistics are acceptable.
If, for a given layer, Refined Mesh Visibility is turned on and either the Minimum Face Angle or Maximum
Face Angle is outside the applicable limit, the layer will be listed in red text in the selector tree.
Control Points Tab

User Control Points
Toggles the application of all modifications to control points.
Override default control point size factor

This option allows you to override the default size of control points as they appear in the viewer.
New Control Point

After selecting New Control Point
, click on the topology in the viewer where you want to add a control point.
A new control point (of type Local) will be created at the nearest intersection of topology line segments (even if
the topology line segments are not visible). At least one of the master topology, topology, or refined mesh must be
visible.
New Control Points Mode

The New Control Points Mode
tool is similar to the New Control Point
tool, except that multiple control
points can be added with successive mouse clicks. To stop adding control points, select this tool a second time.
Delete
The Delete
tool deletes the selected control point(s).

97
Master Control Points
Change control point type to Master

The Change control point type to Master
tool changes the selected control point(s) to type Master.
Change control point type to Local

The Change control point type to Local
tool changes the selected control point(s) to type Local.
Smoothing Tab
On the Smoothing tab, the smoothing level of the refined mesh may be set to None, Low, Medium, High, or
Specify. The first 4 items correspond with 0, 1, 3, and 5 smoothing iterations respectively. The Specify option
allows you to enter the number of iterations.

Definition and Purpose
Master control points are points that specify the location of key topology block corners on a given layer. They can
be moved to improve the quality of a mesh. Unacceptable element face angles, edge length ratios, etc. in a particular
region of a mesh can usually be eliminated by appropriately moving one or more master control points. For example,
a common adjustment is to modify the position of a master control point on the leading edge of a blade to improve
the orthogonality of the surrounding topology blocks.
The orientation of the wake region can be adjusted by modifying the master control points on the inlet and outlet
(although it may be more beneficial to optimize the inlet and outlet control angles first. For details, see Control
Angle (p. 74).).
Another use for master control points is to concentrate mesh elements for the purpose of resolving a flow feature.
For example, certain master control points can be moved closer together in order to help resolve a wake or shock
wave.
Availability
Most topologies include master control points when they are first created. You can move, but not delete, these
master control points. Master control points can be added. For details, see Added Control Points (p. 100).
How to Select and Move a Control Point

You can select and move control points in the following ways:
Select a control point by holding Ctrl+Shift, and clicking the mouse while pointing at a control point.
Select and move a control point by holding Ctrl+Shift and dragging using the left mouse button. When the
mouse button is released, the topology and mesh will update interactively.
If you wish to reset a control point to its original position, right-click the point and select Reset Offset from the
shortcut menu.
To select and drag control points without holding down Ctrl+Shift, you can click the Select
select and drag control points with the left mouse button.
You may also right-click a point and select Edit to select that point for editing.
icon, then
Also see Control Point Selection and Highlighting (p. 101) and Selecting and Dragging Objects while in Viewing
Mode (p. 49).
Note
When multiple instances of the layer are displayed, any instance can be used for selecting or adjusting
control points, but only the first instance can be used for inserting control points.

98
Note
Moving a control point causes the mesh, if it exists, to be out-of-date. As a reminder that the mesh needs
to be re-created, a yellow lightning bolt appears on the Create Mesh icon (i.e., the icon switches from
to
). Moving a control point does not cause the deletion of the surface objects found under the
3D Mesh object in the object selector.
Range of Influence
Master control points can be manually adjusted in order to adjust the layout of relatively large portions of the
topology layout at a time. By contrast, local control points affect only the topology blocks that immediately surround
them. For details, see Local Control Points (p. 100).
Moving a master control point causes some of the surrounding topology blocks to be adjusted in a way that maintains
smooth trends in topology block size. This, in turn, promotes smooth trends in mesh element size.
The topology block edges that are influenced by a given master control point depend on the location of the latter,
and are highlighted when the master control point is selected. An exception to this rule can occur when moving
master control points along the surface of the blade. For details, see Orthogonality Factors (p. 95).
There are ways of restricting the range of influence of a master control point:
The range of influence of a master control point can be reduced to extend only as far as the first topology node
encountered on a master topology line. For details, see Mixed Influence Command (p. 108).
You can limit the range of influence of an added master control point so that it stops at another master control
point by making the latter sticky. To make a control point sticky, right-click it in the viewer and select the
Sticky menu command. For details, see Sticky Command (p. 110).
Advice on Moving Master Control Points

Before moving master control points, you may wish to adjust the inlet and outlet control angles if they are not
suitable for your geometry. This can apply particularly for high angle blades. The control angle adjustment procedure
is given in Control Angle (p. 74).
It is recommended that you adjust the master control points on the hub and shroud before adjusting those on the
intermediate layers because the latter are initialized by the former. If you move control points on either the hub or
the shroud layer after creating intermediate layers then, when you attempt to create a mesh, a message will be
displayed asking if you want to re-initialize the master control points on the intermediate layers.
99
Local Control Points

If you have introduced layers and then subsequently moved master control points on the hub and/or shroud, you
will be prompted on whether or not to re-interpolate the control point positions on intermediate layers. It is generally
recommended that you update intermediate layers by selecting Update & Continue.
Local Control Points

Local control points can be manually adjusted in order to adjust the layout of the immediately adjacent topology
blocks. By contrast, master control points affect larger portions of the topology. For details, see Master Control
Points (p. 98).
Master versus Local Control Points

The difference between a control point of type Master and a control point of type Local is described in the following
table.
Control Points of Type Master
Control Points of Type Local
represented by an octahedron
represented by a sphere
movement of the control point can influence movement of the control point influences
topology line segments that are beyond those only those topology line segments in contact
in contact with it
with it
preserves element size matching across the does not preserve element size matching
affected topology blocks
across the affected topology blocks (uses
uniform element sizes)
Added Control Points

Sometimes it is beneficial to move topology vertices that have no associated control point. In this case, you may
be able to add a control point to such a vertex. This might be necessary, for example, near the leading edge to get
fine control of the topology distribution.
How to Add a Control Point
A control point can be added using the mouse by holding Ctrl+Shift and right-clicking a topology vertex.
Alternatively, you can add control points using the object editor as follows:
1.
Open the object editor for a particular layer.
2.
Click New Control Point

in the editor, then left click over the topology block corner where you want the
control point added. A number of control points can be created simultaneously on a layer by clicking
New Control Points Mode
in the editor for layer objects. Each left click will then add a new control point.
100
Control Point Selection and Highlighting
Once you have completed creating new control points, click New Control Points Mode
exit from this mode.
a second time to
Note
When multiple instances of the layer are displayed, only the first instance can be used for
adding/selecting/adjusting control points.
You might find it helpful to turn off the visibility of the hub or shroud geometry object before attempting to add
control points to the corresponding hub or shroud layer. This prevents the picking mechanism from picking the
geometry object instead of the intended topology vertex. An easy way to turn off all geometry objects is to select
Display > Hide Geometry Objects. For details, see Hide/Unhide Geometry Objects Commands (p. 44).
A colored symbol will be drawn where a control point is added. Move it as you would move a master control point.
For details, see How to Select and Move a Control Point (p. 98).
The color of the control point indicates its constraint:
You can move a magenta control point in any direction on the layer.
A yellow control point can be moved along a curve (e.g., the O-Grid boundary curve or periodic curves).
It is not possible to move a red control point.
To delete a control point, select it in the object editor then click Delete
The size of the control points can be edited in the object editor.
By default, an added control point is of type Local (This default can be changed by the Default Control Point Type
setting in the editor for the Layers object.). The type of a control point can be toggled to Master (and back to
Local) by double-clicking it in the list in the editor for layer objects. Changes made in this way are specific to the
current layer only. An alternative way to toggle the control point type is by right-clicking the point in the list and
using the shortcut menu. This method allows changes to affect the current layer or all layers, depending on which
command is selected. For details, see Shortcut Menu Commands (p. 105).
Control Point Selection and Highlighting

To select a control point, click Select
in the viewer (if necessary), then click the control point in the viewer.
An alternative way to select a control point is to hold down Ctrl+Shift and click the point in the viewer. For added
control points, a third method is to click the appropriate entry in the list of control points in the editor for layer
objects on the Data tab. If selecting an added control point from the viewer, the appropriate editor for layer objects
will open with the entry for the control point highlighted in the list of control points.
After Select
has been clicked, holding the mouse pointer over a control point (or any other object) will result
in the type and name of the control point (or object) appearing in the lower-left corner of the ANSYS TurboGrid
window.
After selecting a control point, the latter is shown highlighted with red lines. If any master topology edges would
be affected by a movement of the selected control point, they are highlighted with red lines.
Also see How to Select and Move a Control Point (p. 98).
Saving Layers to State Files

When saving a state file that contains layers, make sure that the topology is frozen (see Freeze Button (p. 85)) and
included in the state file. On loading the state file, the layer information will then be applied to the topology that
existed at the time the state file was saved.
Loading Layers from State Files

Before loading a state file that contains layers, reset the topology to None so that any existing topology, layers, and
control points are deleted.

101
3D Mesh
3D Mesh
The 3D mesh generated by ANSYS TurboGrid has objects associated with it. These objects are useful for generating
and examining the mesh.
The 3D Mesh Object

The 3D Mesh object contains a Generate button, which is enabled when it is possible to generate (or refresh) a
mesh. This button creates the mesh, and is the same as selecting Insert > Mesh from the main menu or clicking
Create Mesh
You can open the 3D Mesh object to see node and element counts for the passage, inlet, outlet, and the whole
mesh.
Surface Group and Turbo Surface Objects

The 3D Mesh branch contains objects which display the mesh on geometry surfaces and turbo surfaces. Of these
display objects, only the turbo surface object Show Mesh is visible by default. To view another surface, select the
visibility check box for that object.
The mesh can be displayed only after it has been created. Changes made to the Geometry, Topology, or Mesh
Data objects will cause the mesh, and the surface objects found under the 3D Mesh object, to be deleted. Control
point movement causes the mesh to be out-of-date if it exists, but does not delete or affect the surface objects found
under the 3D Mesh object. Control point movement also causes a yellow lightning bolt to appear on the Create
Mesh icon (i.e., the icon switches from
to
) to serve as a reminder that the mesh needs to be re-created, and
that the 3D Mesh surface objects are no longer up-to-date.
3D Mesh Turbo Surfaces

The turbo surface is a flexible object that allows you to closely examine every area of the mesh. One turbo surface
exists in the 3D Mesh branch of the object selector after you create a mesh. You can create other turbo surfaces.
For details, see Turbo Surface Command (p. 33).
3D Mesh Surface Groups

A collection of surface groups exists in the 3D Mesh branch of the object selector after you create a mesh. For
details, see Surface Groups (p. 38).
Mesh Analysis
The Mesh Analysis branch offers a variety of tools to analyze the quality of the mesh. The mesh can be analyzed
only after it has been created. If changes are made to the Geometry, Topology, Layers, or Mesh Data
objects, the mesh cannot be analyzed again until it has been recreated. For details, see Mesh Command (p. 29).

102
Mesh Statistics
Mesh Statistics
The Mesh Statistics object provides details about the quality of the current mesh. The Mesh Statistics
object cannot be viewed until the mesh is created. For details, see Steps to Create a Mesh (p. 61). To view the mesh
statistics, double-click the Mesh Analysis object or Mesh Statistics object in the object selector.
The Mesh Statistics object does not open in the object editor like the other objects in the object selector. The
Mesh Statistics object is in a window of its own so it can stay open while other objects are edited in the
object editor. This allows for constant monitoring of the statistics.
The available mesh statistics include Minimum Face Angle, Maximum Face Angle, Element Volume
Ratio, Edge Length Ratio and Connectivity Number. Statistics displayed in red are outside the limits
defined in the Mesh Analysis > Mesh Limits object. For details, see Mesh Limits (p. 103). To display the
regions where the mesh statistics are outside the limits, select the mesh measure, then click Display. Alternatively,
double-click the mesh analysis variable in the list.
Each calculated mesh measure is added to the list of available variables for creating new plots (e.g., a contour plot).
Mesh Limits
The Mesh Limits object defines the acceptable values for the mesh analysis variables. These variables are
described here. The default limits are generally good and should highlight any problem areas of the mesh.
Maximum Face Angle

This is the greatest face angle for all faces that touch the node. For each face, the angle between the two edges of
the face that touch the node is calculated. The largest angle from all faces is returned. The maximum face angle can
be considered to be a measure of skew.
Minimum Face Angle

This is the smallest face angle for all faces that touch the node.
Connectivity Number
Connectivity Number is the number of elements that touch a node. This variable is the maximum connectivity
number on any element. For the unstructured ANSYS CFX solver, this value is not important. However, high
connectivity numbers in much of the mesh can have an adverse effect on the speed of the structured CFX-TASCflow
solver.

103
Mesh Statistics Parameters - Order Of Importance
Element Volume Ratio

Element Volume Ratio is defined as the ratio of the maximum volume of an element that touches a node, to
the minimum volume of an element that touches a node. The value returned can be used as a measure of the local
expansion factor.
Minimum Volume
Minimum Volume is used to ensure that no negative volumes are created within the passage. The value given is
that of the minimum volume of an element touching any of the nodes.
Edge Length Ratio

This is a ratio of the longest edge of a face divided by the shortest edge of the face. For each face,
( )
( )
m a x l1, l 2
m i n l1, l 2
is calculated for the two edges of the face that touch the node. The largest ratio is returned. The edge length ratio
can be considered to be a measure of aspect ratio.
Mesh Statistics Parameters - Order Of Importance

Generally, the mesh statistics can be ranked as follows (most important to least important)
1.
Minimum Volume - these MUST be fixed before the mesh would be usable.
2.
Maximum Face Angle/ Minimum Face Angle - these should be improved until they fall within the
constraints (minimum of 15 and maximum of 165), if possible. Values close to, but just outside the constraints
may still be acceptable for your simulation.
3.
Edge Length Ratio - this can often be fixed by increasing the number of elements from hub to shroud.
The default limit is 100, so values close to this will normally be acceptable.
4.
Element Volume Ratio - depending on the mesh, it may not be possible to satisfy this constraint.
5.
Connectivity Number - may or may not be pertinent depending on the type of solver used. For details,
see Connectivity Number (p. 103).
Volume
The Mesh Analysis > Show Limits volume object provides a convenient way to examine the mesh. It
functions exactly the same as the volume object in the create menu, except that the only variables available are the
mesh statistics variables. For details, see Volume Command (p. 33).
Note
The visibility of the volume object is off by default.
User Defined Objects

The User Defined branch in the object selector is initially empty. Any new objects created using the Insert
menu will be displayed in this branch. Examples include points and legends. For details, see Insert Menu (p. 29).
Default Instance Transform

The default instance transform is initially applied to all objects for which instance transforms are possible. As a
result, editing the definition of the default instance transform causes all such plots and objects to be transformed.
Additional instance transform objects can be created. For details, see Instance Transform Command (p. 40). A
different instance transform can be applied to an object using its Render tab. For details, see Applying Instance
Transforms to Objects (p. 6).
104
Shortcut Menu Commands
Shortcut Menu Commands

You can perform many actions from shortcut menus; simply right-click one of the following:
The viewer background (i.e., a blank area in the viewer)
An object in the viewer
An object listed in the object selector
An object listed in the object editor
The following sections describe all of the shortcut menu commands that can appear:
Auto Add Layers and Insert Layers Automatically Commands (p. 106)
Color Command (p. 106)
Copy Control Points to Hub and Shroud Command (p. 106)
Copy Smoothing Levels to All Layers Command (p. 106)
Copy to Hub, Copy All to Hub, and Copy Control Points to Hub Commands (p. 106)
Copy to Shroud, Copy All to Shroud, and Copy Control Points to Shroud Commands (p. 106)
Create Mesh Command (p. 107)
Create New View Command (p. 107)
Delete Command (p. 107)
Delete New View Command (p. 107)
Edit Command (p. 107)
Edit in Command Editor Command (p. 107)
Fit View Command (p. 107)
Hide Command (p. 107)
Insert Blade Command (p. 107)
Insert Layer After and Insert Layer After Selected Layer Commands (p. 107)
Insert Layer Automatically Command (p. 107)
Insert Local and Insert Master Commands (p. 108)
Insert USER DEFINED Object Command (p. 108)
Insert Edge Split Control Command (p. 108)
Interpolating Control Point Offsets for Inner Layers (p. 108)
Make Local Command (p. 108)
Make Master Command (p. 108)
Master Influence Command (p. 108)
Mixed Influence Command (p. 108)
Predefined Camera Commands (p. 108)
Save Picture Command (p. 109)
Projection Commands (p. 109)
Render Properties Edit Options Command (p. 109)
Render Properties Show Curves Command (p. 109)
Render Properties Show Surfaces Command (p. 109)
Render Properties Topology and Refined Mesh Visibility Commands (p. 109)
Reset Offset Command (p. 109)
Show Object and Show Commands (p. 109)
Show and Hide All Siblings Command (p. 110)

105
Auto Add Layers and Insert Layers Automatically Commands
Sticky Command (p. 110)
Suspend Object Updates Command (p. 110)
Toggle Axis Visibility Command (p. 110)
Toggle Ruler Visibility Command (p. 110)
Transformation Commands and Coordinate Systems (p. 110)
Update Now Command (p. 111)
Viewer Options Command (p. 111)
Auto Add Layers and Insert Layers Automatically Commands

For details, see Inserting Layers Automatically (p. 94).
Color Command
The Color command provides a subset of the functionality offered by the Color tab. The latter is available by
selecting an eligible object from the object selector, then clicking Rendering
. For details, see Color Tab (p. 4).
Copy Control Points to Hub and Shroud Command

The Copy Control Points to Hub & Shroud command is available for any layer other than the hub or shroud layer.
This command has the combined effect of the Copy Control Points to Hub and Copy Control Points to Shroud
commands.
Copy Smoothing Levels to All Layers Command

The Copy Smoothing Levels to All Layers command is available by right-clicking on a layer at a location other
than a control point (i.e., on a master topology, topology, or refined mesh line), or by right-clicking a layer listed
in the object selector. This command takes the smoothing setting found on the Smoothing tab for the layer (in the
object editor) and applies it to all layers.
Copy to Hub, Copy All to Hub, and Copy Control Points to Hub
Commands
The Copy to Hub command is available by right-clicking a control point on the shroud layer. It copies the offset
of the control point to the corresponding control point on the hub layer, and creates the corresponding control point
if it does not already exist.
The Control Point > Copy All to Hub command is available by right-clicking on a layer at a location other than
a control point (i.e., on a master topology, topology, or refined mesh line). This command carries out the Copy to
Hub command for all control points on the layer.
The Copy Control Points to Hub command is available for the shroud layer when you select the latter from the
object selector. It is the same as the Control Point > Copy All to Hub command.
Copy to Shroud, Copy All to Shroud, and Copy Control Points

to Shroud Commands
The Copy to Shroud command is available by right-clicking a control point on the hub layer. It copies the offset
of the control point to the corresponding control point on the shroud layer, and creates the corresponding control
point if it does not already exist.
The Control Point > Copy All to Shroud command is available by right-clicking on a layer at a location other
than a control point (i.e., on a master topology, topology, or refined mesh line). This command carries out the Copy
to Shroud command for all control points on the layer.
The Copy Control Points to Shroud command is available for the hub layer when you select the latter from the
object selector. It is the same as the Control Point > Copy All to Shroud command.
106
Create Mesh Command
Create Mesh Command

The Create Mesh command is available when the topology has been created. It is the same as selecting Insert >
Mesh. For details, see Mesh Command (p. 29).
Create New View Command

Adds a new view based on the current state of the viewer.
Delete Command
The Delete command is analogous to Make Master command, and operates on added control points.
Delete New View Command

Deletes an existing user-defined view.
Edit Command
The Edit command opens the object editor for the selected object.
Edit in Command Editor Command

The Edit in Command Editor command opens the command editor dialog box for the selected object. For details,
see Command Editor Command (p. 58).
Fit View Command

The Fit View command centers the view on the displayed objects and sets the zoom to an appropriate level for
viewing all of the visible objects. Only the active viewport is affected by this command.
Note
Objects which have their visibility check box cleared do not necessarily fit into the viewer. Only visible
objects are considered.
Hide Command
The Hide command turns off the visibility of the selected object(s). To turn the visibility back on, find the object
in the object selector and select its check box or use the Show Object command available in the shortcut menu that
appears when right-clicking the viewer background.
Insert Blade Command

The Insert Blade command adds a blade to the blade set. After selecting this command, ANSYS TurboGrid prompts
you for a name for the blade, then generates the new blade object. If you already have a blade loaded, most settings
for the new blade will default to those from the first blade. Simply change the File Name setting to indicate the file
for the added blade and click Apply.
Insert Layer After and Insert Layer After Selected Layer

Commands
For details, see Insert Layer After Selected Layer (p. 94).
Insert Layer Automatically Command

For details, see Inserting Layers Automatically (p. 94).

107
Insert Local and Insert Master Commands
Insert Local and Insert Master Commands

The Insert Local and Insert Master commands are available by right-clicking on a layer at a location other than
a control point (i.e., on a master topology, topology, or refined mesh line). These commands insert a control point
of the corresponding type on the layer at the nearest suitable location to where you right-click.
Insert USER DEFINED Object Command

The Insert > USER DEFINED Object command creates a new object. It is the same as selecting Insert > User
Defined > New.
Insert Edge Split Control Command

The Insert Edge Split Control command is available by right-clicking a topology line between topology nodes.
This command creates/edits an edge split control object. Edge split control objects appear in the object selector
under Mesh Data. For details, see Edge Split Controls (p. 92).
Interpolating Control Point Offsets for Inner Layers

If you have more than two layers, and you move a control point on the hub or shroud layer, then the next time you
try to generate a mesh, the control points on the inner layers will move. If you manually adjust any control point
on any inner layer, then move a control point on the hub or shroud layer, ANSYS TurboGrid will prompt you the
next time you try to generate a mesh. The prompt will offer the choice of keeping your custom movements for the
inner layers, or recalculating all control points for all inner layers. In order to recalculate all control points for a
single layer, or subset of layers, select the layer(s), then use the shortcut menu option: Interpolate CP Offsets, or
Control Point > Interpolate Offsets. You may select an inner layer by right clicking it in the viewer. You may
select one or more inner layers using the object selector, or the list of layers that appears when editing the Layers
object in the object editor.
Make Local Command

The Make Local command is analogous to Make Master command, and operates on added master control points.
Make Master Command

The Make Master command is available by right-clicking a local control point. It can be used to make the the local
control point type Master by selecting Make Master > on Current Layer, It can be used to make the local control
point, and all of the control points in the corresponding location on the other layers, type Master by selecting Make
Master > on All Layers.
Master Influence Command

The Master Influence command removes the effect of the Mixed Influence command. For details, see Mixed
Influence Command (p. 108).
Mixed Influence Command

When a control point is selected, a red line indicates the range of influence on the topology nodes. For details, see
Range of Influence (p. 99).
The Mixed Influence command reduces the range of influence of a master control point along master topology
lines. After this command has been applied to a master control point other than a default master control point, the
range of influence of the control point stops at the first topology node encountered on any master topology line.
Predefined Camera Commands

The Predefined Camera commands allow you to set the viewing angle according to one of the built-in presets.
These commands also set the zoom level automatically after adjusting the viewing angle.

108

The Save Picture command is available by right-clicking the background. It is the same as selecting File > Save
Picture.
Projection Commands
Perspective Command
The Perspective command sets a view with a fixed amount of perspective.
Orthographic Command
The Orthographic command sets an orthographic view.
Render Properties Edit Options Command

The Render (Properties) > Edit Options command enables you to adjust color and render settings for the selected
object. For details, see Color Tab (p. 4) and Render Tab (p. 5).
Render Properties Show Curves Command

The Render (Properties) > Show Curves command is available by right-clicking an object (e.g., the hub, shroud
or blade surface). Use this command to view the raw curve file data instead of the surface.
Render Properties Show Surfaces Command

The Render (Properties) > Show Surfaces command is available by right-clicking the hub or shroud curve, or
one of the blade curves. Use this command to view the surface instead of the raw curve file data.
Note
The blade surface and resulting mesh can be adversely affected when a blade shroud tip is defined by
the second-last profile and the last profile has a shape that is inconsistent with where the blade would
exist if the blade were extended in the spanwise direction while ignoring the last profile. To avoid this
problem, you can either ensure that the last profile is consistent with the second last profile, or manually
remove the last profile from the curve file. A similar statement applies for the hub end of a blade having
a hub tip.
Render Properties Topology and Refined Mesh Visibility

Commands
The Render (Properties) > Master Topology Visibility, Topology Visibility, and Refined Mesh Visibility
commands toggle the visibility of the corresponding items for the selected layer(s).
Reset Offset Command

The Reset Offset command is available by right-clicking a control point that has been moved since it was created.
It resets the position of the control point to its original location.
Show Object and Show Commands

The Show Object command is available by right-clicking the background. It turns on the visibility of any geometry,
volume, or mesh data object.
The Show command turns on the visibility of the object(s) selected in the object selector.

109
Show and Hide All Siblings Command
Show and Hide All Siblings Command

The Show + Hide All Siblings command turns on the visibility of the object selected in the object selector, and
turns off the visibility of every sibling object in the tree.
Sticky Command
The Sticky command, when selected, makes a master control point sticky. A sticky master control point usually
limits the range of influence of an added master control point that lies on the same master topology line; the range
of influence stops at the sticky master control point. In some cases, a sticky master control point does not restrict
the range of influence of another master control point on the same topology line.
Note
A sticky control point will not remain stationary if you move a pre-defined master control point on the
same master topology line.
Suspend Object Updates Command

You can save time by appropriately suspending objects. The Suspend Object Updates command toggles the state
of suspension of an object. By suspending an object, you prevent it from being updated in response to changes to
other objects.
For example, the Topology Set object depends on the Geometry object, and, when not suspended, will be
reprocessed each time the geometry is changed. If you want to make several changes to the geometry, you can skip
the intermediate processing of the topology by suspending the Topology Set object. Note that the Topology
Set object is initially suspended when you start a new case.
To process a suspended object, you can either deselect the Suspend Object Updates command or select the Update
Now command. If you select the Update Now command, the object will be processed once, but will remain
suspended.
Objects that depend on a suspended object are also suspended. An icon overlay indicates whether or not an object
is suspended. Icon overlays are illustrated in Icon Overlays and Text Styles (p. 3).
Toggle Axis Visibility Command

The Toggle Axis Visibility command is available by right-clicking the background. It controls the visibility of the
axis orientation indicator that appears in the lower-right corner of the viewer.
Toggle Ruler Visibility Command

The Toggle Ruler Visibility command is available by right-clicking the background. It controls the visibility of
the ruler that appears near the lower edge of the viewer.
Transformation Commands and Coordinate Systems

The Transformation commands are available by right-clicking the background.
You can use different coordinate systems to display various views of the geometry and mesh objects in the viewer
window. This is useful when closely examining every aspect of the mesh before saving it for use in a CFD solver.
Cartesian
The Cartesian coordinate system is used by default in the viewer window when there is only one viewport. The 3
axis coordinates for the Cartesian coordinate system are X, Y and Z.
Blade-to-Blade
The blade-to-blade coordinate system is used to display the geometry in the m - conformal space which is familiar
to blade designers. The m - coordinate space is angle-preserving and minimizes the effect of changing radius
110
Update Now Command

on viewing and manipulation. By utilizing the blade-to-blade coordinate system, a wide variety of machine types,
from axial to radial, can be treated similarly.
m is defined in Meridional (p. 111).
Note
Due to the fact that m is ill-conditioned at r = 0, you can expect to see different behavior in cases which
extend to the machine axis.
Meridional
The meridional coordinate system is one transformation used by blade designers. It is useful for viewing the flow
path as well as the upstream and downstream extents of the mesh. The three axis coordinates for the meridional
coordinate system are A (axial), R (radial) and (Theta). The viewer shows only the A and R coordinates.
Variable
Description
Axial location
Radius or radial location
Normalized distance along meridional curve (e.g., from 0 to 1)
The particular value of s that corresponds to the point location for which
m and m are to be computed
Meridional coordinate (distance along meridional curve)
Normalized meridional coordinate (radius normalized distance along

meridional curve)
S
m=
dr 2
+
ds
da 2
ds
dr 2
ds
da 2
ds
( ) ( )
ds
ds
m =
0
( ) +( )
r
3D Turbo
The three axis coordinates for the 3D Turbo Coordinate System are M (m ), T (Theta) and S (span).
Update Now Command

The Update Now command causes a suspended object to be processed. For more details, see Suspend Object
Updates Command (p. 110).
Viewer Options Command

The Viewer Options command is available by right-clicking the background. It is the same as selecting Edit >
Options and then navigating to TurboGrid > Viewer. For details, see Viewer (p. 23).

111

Chapter 11. User's Guide to the Automated

Meshing Beta Feature in ANSYS TurboGrid
12.1
This chapter provides a description of the automatic topology and meshing (ATM Optimized) feature available in
ANSYS TurboGrid 12.1. This feature is considered a Beta capability in release 12.1. It will be improved with added
capabilities in a future release.
The ATM Optimized feature is available for testing; instructions for its use are given here.
The topology used in ATM is an H-O grid, which is hard-wired in release 12.1 (you cannot choose a different
topology in this release) and is intended for single blades with rounded leading and trailing edges. It is not intended
for blades with cut-offs or sharp edges because there is no guarantee that the cut-off shape will be preserved or that
the mesh quality will be satisfactory for these cases.
The basic steps to using the ATM Optimized feature are as follows:
1.
Load the blade geometry and set the geometry parameters (for example, inlet/output points) as necessary.
2.
Open Topology Set and set Topology Definition > Placement to ATM Optimized (Beta).
3.
Click Apply.
4.
Open Mesh Data.
5.
On the Mesh Size tab, set Method to Target Passage Mesh Size or Global Size Factor as
appropriate
6.
Click Apply.
7.
Right-click Topology Set and clear Suspend Object Updates.

ANSYS TurboGrid computes the topology and mesh for the hub and shroud layers based on the current default
mesh size.
8.
Click Create Mesh
to generate the volume mesh.
Afterwards you can view the 2-D mesh on a layer and view the layer statistics, just as you would with one of the
traditional control point topologies. The Master Topology (magenta) shows the master block topology curves. The
Topology (gold) shows the background mesh, which is typically useful only for developer debugging. The Refined
Mesh (brown) shows the final mesh for the layer; this is the most useful of the three.
Changing the Overall Mesh Size

The ATM Optimized method automatically computes a default mesh and sets the base mesh dimensions. Each
unique mesh dimension has an edge refinement factor that is multiplied by the base mesh dimension and a global
size factor to determine the final size of the mesh dimension. Local mesh size adjustments can be made by adjusting
the local edge refinement factors. The overall mesh size can be changed by using one of the following methods on
the Mesh Size tab in the Mesh Data object editor:
Set Method to Global Size Factor and set Size Factor.

This option directly sets the Global Size Factor that is used to multiply all the individual edge element counts
for the base (default) mesh. Increasing this factor will increase the overall mesh size, and decreasing this factor
will decrease the overall mesh size, but the change is not linear. In this mode, if you change the spanwise mesh
size or the boundary layer refinement, or make any local edge refinements to the mesh, the Global Size Factor
will stay fixed and the overall mesh size may change. This factor, when used with Proportional Offsets, can be
used to scale the mesh size for a mesh refinement study.
Set Method to Target Passage Mesh Size and set Node Count.
This option enables you to choose the approximate mesh size (in nodes), and lets ANSYS TurboGrid compute
the mesh dimensions automatically, including Size Factor. In this mode, if you change the spanwise mesh size

113
Changing the Boundary Layer Resolution near the Blade

or the boundary layer refinement, or make any local refinements to the mesh, ANSYS TurboGrid will adjust
the mesh size factor (Edge Refinement Size Factor) automatically to achieve the desired target mesh size.
Changing the Boundary Layer Resolution near the

Blade
Within the O-grid block around the blade, ANSYS TurboGrid uses a constant expansion rate to distribute the
elements normal to the blade surface, and to assure a smooth transition to the passage mesh. The expansion rate is
determined by the number of elements normal to the blade, the base mesh distribution and the size of the elements
in the adjacent passage mesh. While you cannot directly specify the expansion rate, you can control the expansion
rate by adjusting the number of elements normal to the blade.
When the topology is created, ANSYS TurboGrid creates a Boundary Layer Control object under the Mesh
Data object in the object selector that provides direct control of the mesh resolution in the O-grid and also displays
the base and actual Block Edge Split Counts for the O-grid. The O-grid element count normal to the blade is defined
by the local Edge Refinement Factor times Global Size Factor times the base mesh dimension for the O-grid. ANSYS
TurboGrid automatically computes the base mesh dimension, and this remains fixed for a given geometry/topology.
Increasing or decreasing the Edge Refinement Factor will increase or decrease the mesh resolution in the O-grid,
respectively.
The Edge Refinement Factor can be specified directly, or it can be computed by ANSYS TurboGrid. These options
are described as follows:
Use Proportional Offsets This option lets ANSYS TurboGrid compute the Edge Refinement Factor as the
Proportional Offset Factor Ratio times the Global Size Factor. This method maintains a similar O-grid expansion
rate when the Global Size Factor is changed. On the Mesh Size tab of the Mesh Data object, select the
Proportional Offsets check box, specify the Factor Ratio, and then click Apply. Increasing or decreasing the
Factor Ratio will effectively increase or decrease the expansion rate, respectively.
Specify the Edge Refinement Factor This option lets you directly specify the Edge Refinement Factor. This
method does not maintain a similar O-grid expansion rate when the Global Size Factor is changed, and therefore
the Edge Refinement Factor may need to be adjusted when the mesh size is changed. On the Mesh Size tab of
the Mesh Data object, clear Proportional Offsets, set Near Wall Element Size Specification > Method to
Absolute, and then click Apply. Edit the Boundary Layer Control object and set Method to Edge
Refinement Factor. Then specify the Offset and click Apply.
Specify y+ height and Reynolds number This option lets you specify the approximate maximum y+ height
for the blade. ANSYS TurboGrid uses this information to compute the Edge Refinement Factor. The specified
offset and the actual offset may differ. The elements near the surface of the blade will not all have a constant
height, but they will generally be at or less than the specified maximum. Furthermore, the y+ calculation is only
approximate. On the Mesh Size tab of the Mesh Data object, clear Proportional Offsets, set Near Wall
Element Size Specification > Method to y+, enter a suitable Reynolds No. (Reynolds number) and then click
Apply. Edit the Boundary Layer Control object and set Method to First Element Offset. Then
specify the Offset Y+ and click Apply.
Specify Absolute offset height This option lets you specify the approximate maximum near wall element
height. ANSYS TurboGrid uses this information to compute the Edge Refinement Factor. The elements near
the surface of the blade will not all have a constant height, but they will generally be at or less than the specified
maximum. On the Mesh Size tab of the Mesh Data object, clear Proportional Offsets, set Near Wall Element
Size Specification > Method to Absolute and then click Apply. Edit the Boundary Layer Control
object and set Method to First Element Offset. Then specify the Offset and click Apply.
Changing the Number of Elements on a Selected

Topology Edge
You can control the number of elements along a given edge, but because of the smoothing process you cannot
control the distribution of the elements along the edge. To increase or decrease the number of elements on a given
topology edge, right-click the edge in the viewer and select one of the following:
114
Changing the Spanwise Mesh Distribution
Insert Edge Split Control - This option inserts an Edge Split object under the Mesh Data object. You can
then edit this object to adjust the Edge Split Factor. The Edge Split object also displays the base and actual
Block Edge Split Counts for the selected edge.
Increase Edge Refinement - This option lets you choose a preset amount by which to increase the Edge Split
Factor. An Edge Split object is automatically added for the selected edge if one has not been created already.
Decrease Edge Refinement - This option lets you choose a preset amount by which to decrease the Edge Split
Factor. An Edge Split object is automatically added for the selected edge if one has not been created already.
The Edge Split object also displays the base and actual Block Edge Split Counts. You can remove the control
by right-clicking the Edge Split object in the object selector and selecting Delete.
Changing the Spanwise Mesh Distribution

ANSYS TurboGrid has several methods for controlling the spanwise mesh distributions. The default method is
Proportional. These methods are selected on the Passage tab of the Mesh Data object, and they are described
below:
Proportional - With this option ANSYS TurboGrid automatically computes the number and distribution of
elements in the spanwise direction so that the near wall element heights on the hub and shroud match the
maximum near wall element height on the blade. ANSYS TurboGrid adjusts the spanwise mesh count so that
the average element aspect ratio (spanwise height divided by streamwise length) near the midspan is approximately
equal to the blade aspect ratio divided by the Proportional Factor. Increasing or decreasing the Proportional
Factor increases or decreases, respectively, the mesh resolution in the spanwise direction. This option is only
available when using the ATM Optimized method.
Element Count and Size - This option lets you choose the spanwise element count and the element height near
the hub and shroud, and it operates the same as for the traditional control point topologies.
Boundary Layer - This option gives you more control over the spanwise mesh distribution by providing additional
biasing adjustments near the hub and shroud compared with the Element Count and Size option. It
operates the same as for the traditional control point topologies.
Uniform - This option lets you specify the number of spanwise elements that will be distributed uniformly from
hub to shroud.
The Passage tab of the Mesh Data object also shows the approximate size of the elements next to the wall. The
values are reported in y+ or absolute distance depending on the Near Wall Element Size Specification > Method
setting on the Mesh Size tab.
Locking the Mesh Dimensions

In some situations, for example when you are comparing minor geometry variations, you may want to keep the
mesh dimensions the same from one case to the next. This will reduce the influence of the mesh on the CFD results.
To lock the mesh dimensions, select the Lock mesh size check box on the Mesh Size tab of the Mesh Data object.
This setting will maintain the current mesh dimensions and prevent any subsequent changes to the global or local
mesh controls. The lock status will be preserved from one session to the next if the project or state file is saved. To
unlock the mesh, clear the Lock mesh size check box.
Advanced Local Refinement Control

When ANSYS TurboGrid initializes the ATM topology, it builds the topology in pieces and then conglomerates
the block structure to minimize the number of blocks in the final topology. Because you can control only the number
of elements along a given topology edge and not the distribution, having more blocks in specific areas, for example
near the trailing edge, gives you better control of the mesh resolution in these areas. Preserving specific vertices
from being conglomerated in these situations will give you better control of the local mesh resolution.
The default list of vertices to retain is given in the following CCL:

115
Example Mesh
TOPOLOGY SET:
Passage Centric Retained Vertices List = 13, 22
END
If you want additional control near the leading and trailing edges, change the CCL to the following:
TOPOLOGY SET:
Passage Centric Retained Vertices List = 13, 22, 15, 35
END
Example Mesh
The following figures show the resulting mesh for an axial turbine blade.
Figure 11.1. A Sample Picture of the Mesh on the Hub for an Axial Turbine Blade

116
Example Mesh
Figure 11.2. A Sample Picture of the Mesh at the Tip for an Axial Turbine Blade

117


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ANSYS TurboGrid User's Guide

Copyright and Trademark Information

U.S. Government Rights

ANSYS TurboGrid User's Guide

ANSYS TurboGrid User's Guide

ANSYS TurboGrid User's Guide

Release 12.1 - 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Release 12.1 - 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Release 12.1 - 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Release 12.1 - 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Release 12.1 - 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1. ANSYS TurboGrid Workspace

ANSYS TurboGrid in ANSYS Workbench (p. 9)

Object Selector (p. 1)

Object Editor (p. 4)

Figure 1.1. Workspace

Release 12.1 - 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Release 12.1 - 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Visibility Check Box

Table 1.1. Icon Overlays and Text Styles

The object cannot be processed. Some other

The object is ready to be defined, if

The object is complete and requires no more

The object has a problem. In the case of the

The object will not be processed because it

The object is suspended because a parent

Right-clicking the object and using the shortcut menu.

Visibility Check Box

Release 12.1 - 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

icon to the right of

Release 12.1 - 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Hybrid and Conservative Values

icon to the right of this box, to change

Select None so that no shading is applied to the object; it appears black.

Release 12.1 - 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

icon to the right of the Color box.

Applying Instance Transforms to Objects

Release 12.1 - 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Release 12.1 - 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapter 2. File Menu

New Case Command (p. 10)

Load BladeGen Command (p. 10)

Load Curves Command (p. 11)

Load CFG Command (p. 13)

Reread Curves Command (p. 13)

Load State Command (Import State Command) (p. 14)

Save State Command (Export State Command) (p. 14)

Save State As Command (p. 14)

Save Project (p. 15)

Refresh (p. 15)

Save Submenu (p. 15)

Save Mesh Command (p. 17)

Save Mesh As Command (p. 17)

Export Geometry Command (p. 18)

Save Picture Command (p. 19)

Recent State Files Submenu (p. 20)

Recent Session Files Submenu (p. 21)

Quit Command (p. 21)

Grid and Boundary Condition Files

TurboGrid 1.6 cfg File

New Case Command

Load BladeGen Command

Release 12.1 - 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Load Curves Command